


Sorrow's Child

by Cornerofmadness



Series: Sorrows [3]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-15
Updated: 2014-04-15
Packaged: 2018-01-19 13:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1470925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerofmadness/pseuds/Cornerofmadness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arsonists, rogue chimeras, angry Ishbalans, Roy is at the end of his tether.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: arson, murder, chimeric cannibalization of children.  
> Author’s Note: This has not yet been edited. It is finished. However, professional writing obligations came due at the same time. Edits will happen after May 1, 2014. I apologize for this. All reasonable attempts at editing it were made, but real life got in the way. If you wish to read it before then, feel free, but the better reading experience will be in a couple weeks. I will change this note when it is ready.

_Genius is sorrow's child. - John Adams_

Chapter One

Icicles hung outside of the window. Roy contemplated just calling in sick, closing the curtains and going back to bed afterward. With his luck lately, he’d get sick if he did. His eyes flicked toward the bathroom, knowing Riza wasn’t feeling so well herself. At least it didn’t sound like she was sick this morning.

He did crawl back under the covers, waiting on her. Their house had several bathrooms, and he knew he didn’t have to wait, but this was better. Snuggling down in the bedding, he thought about what a certain crazy man had so recently told him. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to Roy.

Riza raised her eyebrows when she came back into the bedroom, seeing him still in the bed. “I’m hoping you don’t have any ideas. We woke up a little too late for that.”

Roy glanced at the clock. Sadly, she was right. “It’s cold out there. I think Olivia ordered Briggs to move its weather here so she’d feel at home.” Riza chuckled at that. Roy sat up, keeping the blanket hugged to his chest. He beckoned with a finger and she sat next to him. “Riza, are you pregnant?”

“What brought that up?”

“A suspicion. You’ve been so tired and sick,” he said, not willing to say a serial killing alchemist had opened his eyes to the possibility. 

“I’m waiting to hear from the doctor, but I think so.”

Roy wrapped his arms around her, pulling Riza against him. He kissed her deeply and long. “Either way, I love you.”

Her lips brushed over his. “I know. I’ve always known. But you.” She tapped his nose. “Keep this to yourself. I don’t know for sure yet, and even if I did, you’re not supposed to tell anyone for three months.”

“I know that, and I can keep a secret.”

Riza snorted. “You’ll tell the world because you won’t be able to keep from bragging.”

He pouted at her. She flicked his lip. “I’m very good with secrets. I’m in charge of how many State secrets? I never let slip about the brothers or my alchemy.”

“That’s different. Just keep it quit.” She kissed him again. “Or I’ll shoot you.”

Roy gulped. “I’ll be good.”

XXX

Roy walked a few blocks around his office building before going in. He hoped the cold would give his face that red, frozen look, displacing the bemused 'I'm going to be a father' expression he saw in the mirror before leaving the house. How was he supposed to keep it secret? Yes, he kept many secrets, but this was one he didn't want to keep. He wanted to tell the world. Of course, Riza might not even be pregnant, but if she was and he let the secret slip before she was ready, Riza _would_ shoot him.

Half-frozen, he headed inside, not in the mood to deal with Dev and any other of the Ishbalans who might crop up in the course of the day. No one but his usual team of Ishbalans should have been in his office, but that didn't meant someone he didn't feel like dealing with wouldn't be lying in wait.

He stomped the snow off his boots, going up the stairs to his new office, taking the place of the one he lost in the bombing that nearly killed him the year before. The maze-like building finally spun him along to the central hub where his office lay.

Roy could smell the coffee and smoke from several doors down. Havoc was going to choke them all one day. Havoc's eyes widened a little, seeing Roy come in. Havoc glanced around for Mera then asked, "Did the cold turn you into a girl, too?"

Roy's gaze flicked down. It definitely felt smaller. "I fear so. Damn, it's cold."

"If it gets any colder, I'm not coming to work." Havoc smirked.

"I'm sure it'll be warm in the stockades," Roy chuckled, making his way to the coffee pot after dumping his heavy, fur-lined coat on the rack. It took him a few seconds to realize Maes was perched on Breda's desk like a gangly paperweight. Well, at least now the morning would be interesting. That thought lasted only until Roy spotted a golden head bent toward Dev's, two evil young men in obvious collusion. Why the hell did Maes need to bring Elric? This never boded well. Dev and Ed were bad enough by themselves. Put them together, and the only chance Roy had was to manipulate them into turning on each other. Since they were prickly, hot-tempered, sarcastic men, it wasn't all that hard to do.

He waved at Hughes as he staggered past, his toes beginning to tingle as they warmed up. Roy bee-lined for the coffee as Hughes hopped off the desk, trailing after him.

"You even awake?"

"Awake but frozen." Roy snatched the coffee pot off the little stove he had put in the break area, something of a major coup in a military building. Roy had argued that, as ambassador, he'd be doing a great deal of entertaining in the office as well as out of it.

 

"Perfect. I have to tell you about what Elicia did last night." Maes slapped Roy's back and he nearly dropped the coffee.

Roy raised his hand, two fingers pressed against his bare thumb. Even this Hughes knew the inherent threat. When Meinhard Hughes had become 'Maes' after the brothers accidentally brought him back from Earth, he started babbling about Elicia and now Gracia's second pregnancy in just the same way as Roy's Maes had. Roy had asked the brothers if they thought Meinhard was faking it after hearing how Maes had been but they said Meinhard had been just the same back home. "Don't make me snap, Hughes."

"You're not wearing your gloves." Hughes shrugged. "So anyhow, Elicia was working on her school work."

"And she correctly derived KE equals one half MV squared."

Hughes narrowed his eyes. "Are you going to let me tell the story or are you going to be an ass?"

"He's always an ass. You better let him have his coffee," Dev warned.

"Do I even want to know what KE whatever is?" Hughes sniffed.

"Physics. Kinetic energy equals half the mass of the object times the velocity squared." Roy dumped sugar into his coffee. "Why did you come here with Fullmetal?" 

Hughes's lips thinned. "You might want to have that coffee first."

"Great, you brought me a problem and whatever it is you want me to have coffee before hearing." Roy jerked his chin at Edward.

"Listen while you drink." Hughes propelled him toward Roy's inner office.

"I'm going to hire Riza to guard me with orders to shoot you, Hughes."

"You're grumpy. Let me finish my story. It will cheer you up. Elicia was doing her homework."

Roy sat down, half-listening to the latest Elicia tale, his mind more on the hinted at problem. He grunted at the appropriate place to let Hughes know he was still listening. “You should write kids stories, the adventures of Elicia,” he mumbled.

Maes snorted. “Were you even listening or are you just humoring me?”

“Both.” Roy took a sip of coffee. “Tell me what you didn’t want to tell me. I assume it’s nasty if you made me start the day being forced to look at Fullmetal.”

“I heard that!” Edward popped into the room with a file in his hand. “Here, I heard Hughes’s babble come to an end.”

“See, you _do_ babble.” He accepted the file. 

“Figures, it’s the one thing Ed and you agree on.” Hughes sighed. “There was a fire last night, taking out the off-base home of Lieutenant Jack Whittle. The lieutenant and his family were killed.”

“That is terrible. I didn’t hear the sirens,” Roy said. “Why are you bringing this to me though?”

Hughes’s brow creased. “Something feels wrong about this, Roy. Wrong beyond the idea that a whole family was snuffed out.”

“And you do know fire,” Ed added. “You’re an expert. Dev said you’ve been working with the fire department, trying to track patterns, especially in arson cases.”

Roy bobbed his head. “I won’t pass on my alchemy, but I can at least find some use for my knowledge. I’d like to see fire investigators trained in arson investigation. I know how things burn. I know what accelerants do. I know the temperature various things combust at.

“I told him to write a book.” Dev shrugged. “Unlike his alchemy, this sounded like a good thing for others to know.”

Roy glanced over to see Dev had followed Edward into the room. “You aren’t wrong. Did you bring photos of the fire, Hughes?”

He nodded toward Edward. “Let me tell you what we know so far. We haven’t been able to do more than a few quick photos. The scene was too hot to do much more. We haven’t even been able to remove the bodies yet.”

“Flare ups keep happening,” Edward said, his brow wrinkled in frustration.

Roy nodded. “That happens.”

“The call to the fire department happened about two in the morning. We wanted to see if you thought it would be worth your time to come with us. As frigid as it is out there, the building should be cooled enough to go inside and do a proper investigation,” Hughes said.

“Let’s see those photos.” Roy glanced over at Dev. “You probably don’t want to look at these.”

“No, probably not,” Dev replied, but he didn’t leave the doorway.

Roy opened the file Edward gave him. His scowl deepened as he studied it. Two charred bodies were in one photo, one adult, sex impossible to tell, and one child or what was left of a child. Their bones were easier to destroy. “They’re right in the living room. Is that where the front door was located?” He noticed Dev had turned his back on them now, but still hadn’t moved out of earshot.

“Yes, that bothered me. It was as if they were all running for the front door but something stopped them,” Hughes said. “No one in Investigations has the expert on fire you do, Roy. My investigation would benefit from you taking a closer look.”

 

Roy didn't know if he had it in him to deal with a burned out family, not after the things he'd done, but he knew Hughes had a point. “Dev, can you and Mera handle things here?”

“Go, it'll be like a picnic without you,” the young Ishbalan priest replied.

“Trading you for Edward.” Roy sighed. “That's too even a trade.”

“Yeah, like I’m thrilled about it,” Edward shot back.

“Let me get my coat,” Roy said. “I'll see what I can do.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Roy investigated the burnt-out home, trying to keep his mind on an even keel. Burned buildings took him back a decade to the war, to all the destruction he had wrought. He hoped neither Hughes nor Edward saw his discomfort.

“There’s something odd here,” he said, staring at the broken-down front door.

Hughes came over. “What?”

“Here, see where it’s fused.” Roy pointed to the lock.

“Metal melts,” Edward called from where he sifted through the ashes near what was left of the front stairs.

Roy handed over the piece to Hughes. “Yes, but look here. There’s more metal than should be here. Also here’s a piece of wood that didn’t burn away.”

“Did someone bar the door?” Hughes looked horrified.

“I think so, and they would have to have been quick about it. The hammering should have awoken the family,” Roy said.

“They must have started the fire burning first, don’t you think?” Hughes turned the evidence over in his hands before bagging it up.

“That would make sense. In the confusion, they wouldn’t have known which way the hammering sound was coming from.”

“Why would anyone bar the door and kill a family like this?” Ed asked, straightening up. He shot the older men a furious look at the very idea. 

“They really wanted this family to die,” Roy replied, grimly. “I need to look upstairs. Hughes, did they find a way up there?”

“A better question would be ‘is there an upstairs’?” Ed grumbled.

“Obviously, not here.” Hughes gestured to what was left of the staircase. “Maybe from outside, a ladder or something.”

Roy wrinkled his nose. It was ‘die of hypothermia in ten minutes’ cold outside, but he had a duty to do. No handy ladder had been left by the fire department. He clapped his gloved hands together and the snow and earth made a ramp to a window.

“I’m never getting used to you being able to do that, too,” Edward said. 

“Don’t worry, Edward. You’re still probably better at it than I am,” Roy admitted.

“I’m better at everything than you are,” Ed shot back, grinning his death’s head grin as he and Hughes followed Roy up the ramp.

“Let’s ask our ladies some pertinent questions and see how you stack up,” Roy replied.

“And when you’re done, have them send you to me for tips,” Hughes called from the ground, making Roy snort.

Roy peered into the window, surveying the burnt room. “Okay, this doesn’t look very sturdy, so be careful. I have to go in, but you might want to wait out here, Edward. I’m not sure the floor it can handle your weight, especially with your extra automail. I’m worried enough about my own.”

“A better use of Ed’s time would be to go back down and keep looking around downstairs,” Hughes countered, then glanced over at Edward. “And hope the ceiling doesn’t crash down on you with us on top of it.”

“Thanks for nothing, Hughes.” Edward didn’t otherwise argue, heading back down the ramp. 

You have to teach me how to do that, Hughes - Roy

Roy put his living foot through the window first. The floorboards seemed solid enough, but the creak they gave up when he set his automail foot down didn’t encourage him any. Hoping for the best, he started into the room. Hughes followed him gingerly. Roy saw nothing that leapt out at him as wrong in the room. The flames had traveled along the ceiling, blistering and darkening the paint, but he would expect that if someone had left the door open. From the looks of it, they did. 

He stepped out into the hallway, stopping to wonder how the family had even gotten down the staircase in the first place. Then he saw there had been a staircase on either side and they had been herded to one. He crept slowly toward where the second staircase had been. “Edward, are you down there?”

“Right below you. You’re shaking ash down on me,” Edward shouted back. 

“Just be thankful it’s not raining me yet,” Roy replied. “Look at this, Hughes. See this lizard skinning?” He pointed to the walls in the hallway. The burnt areas resembled lizard skin, hence the name. 

“Yes, but I don’t know what it means.”

 

“This is a sign of where the fire burned the hottest,” Roy replied.

“In a hallway? That’s not likely to have been by accident,” Hughes said, leaving behind a smear of ash when he rubbed his chin. “Not that we were expecting it to be, I suppose.”

Roy shook his head. “No, definitely not. Edward, we found evidence of accelerant up here. See if you can get into any of the other rooms down there, and look for something that looks like burnt lizard skin,” he bellowed.

“Fine.”

“Hughes, I know this is a silly question but do you have your -”

“Camera?” Hughes finished for him, fishing it out of his pocket.

Roy would never stop being struck by just how much like Maes Meinhard really was. It was spooky. They were so similar often he found himself forgetting his friend was dead and buried, but, on the other hand, he had a new friend who understood him nearly as well as Maes had. “Take some pictures of this lizard skinning and let's follow it to where we can. This was most likely gasoline, smell it? Makes for a great accelerant, but it's pretty noticeable. Got any evidence bags?”

“I'm an investigator, aren't I?” Hughes handed him a couple of small paper bags from out of his inner jacket pocket. 

Roy scraped some of the burnt wall into one of the bags for the lab to test. They had a new piece of equipment Edward had told him about, a gas chromatograph, which could break down things into their component parts and decipher what was in the mix. The young man had been fascinated by the science of it. Roy had to admit he was, as well.

After he had taken several samples and Hughes had photographed all the rooms they could safely get to, they went back out into the cold and climbed down to meet Edward. He had managed to make an opening in a partial collapse and stood in the kitchen.

“Find anything, Fullmetal?” Roy asked, peeking in. He'd have to duck just a little to get through the opening. At his adult height, Edward wasn't much shorter than he was, which was to say relatively short. Outside of Falman, Havoc and Dev, Roy's whole team was on the short side. He was barely taller than Riza, and shorter than their new Fuhrer, but that only allowed for a great view of Olivia's well hidden chest. 

“Not sure,” Edward called. “The back staircase comes down in here, and it's completely collapsed. I think that lizard skin stuff is in here.”

 

Roy beckoned for Hughes to hunker down and follow him in. He saw the worried look on the man's face. Hughes was still getting used to the idea of alchemy. He didn't have the trust Roy did in Edward's handiwork. Roy felt reasonably safe the passage wouldn't collapse on them.

The dimly-lit kitchen stank of smoke and barely anything was left to it. The outer wall had partially fallen down. Edward could have spared himself the effort if he had just walked around the place, but if anything Roy knew, alchemists tended to rely on their alchemy almost too much.

“This it?” Ed pointed with a metal finger to the wall near the staircase. 

“Yes, that's it. Thank you, Edward. Hughes, if you will.”

“Why was I looking for that?” Edward peered at the lizard skinning.

“Because it's the point of hottest flame, and it tells me where the fire burned first, longest and hottest,” Roy said.

“Away from the stove,” Edward mumbled. “We already knew it was arson, but this tells us they wanted the family trapped. It wasn't just some freak randomly burning stuff up. Don’t arsonists usually like to hit abandoned places?”

“If watching things burn is their motive, yes,” Roy concurred as he took a scraping of this wall, too. “But the way the accelerant was laid down tells us the arsonist knew there was a family here, and that they were herded toward the front door, which was barred.”

“Couldn't they have just gone out a window?” Edward asked.

“Yes, of course, but they didn't. I wonder if the arsonist had a plan for that event,” Roy mused.

“Once Dr. Knox tells us more about the victims, we won't know why they didn’t make it out the windows. And if they had, did the arsonist have a contingent plan? The front windows are gone. It's possible the arsonist did something to prevent them from going out them,” Hughes said. “And we know they didn't take the risk of going out the second story windows.”

“People are afraid of that leap,” Roy said. “And gasoline fires smoke a lot. They probably thought they had plenty of time to get out.”

“But why would anyone want to kill a whole family?” Edward's face screwed up in equal parts sorrow and rage. 

“Once we know more about this family, we might have an answer for that. You and I can start that later today and tomorrow, digging through their lives,” Hughes said.

“I thought this job would be better than working for the bastard, but it's hard,” Edward said. “And I'm still working with the bastard.”

“It's a joy to work with you as well, Fullmetal,” Roy snorted. “You can always come back and work for me in the diplomatic corps. I'm sure your personality is perfectly suited for it.”

“Drop dead.”

“See what I mean?” Roy smirked.

“Ed, it is a hard job, but it's a necessary one. I think you can do it. You're probably smarter and more curious than anyone else in Investigations,” Hughes said, and Roy snorted again. This time Edward elbowed him.

“Striking a superior officer, Edward. Do you know how much time that will get you in the stockade?” Roy laughed.

He snapped back, “Is it time free of you?”

“I'll visit every day so you won't get lonely,” Roy promised.

“Yes, just what he wants on conjugal visit day.” Hughes wagged his head.

“As if he needs one of those,” Roy said, and got another elbow.

“I need those! Are we done here?” Edward asked.

“I think so,” Roy replied. “Hughes, anything more we need? It's your show.”

“No, Flame, when it comes to this, it's yours,” Hughes replied. “I think we've seen enough. It would be a better use of time to start the background checks.”

“Very well. I have work of my own to get back to,” Roy said. He didn't add in that it was rebuilding flame-destroyed Ishbalan homes. He had done his best back in the war to not burn out families, but he had failed in those attempts. He knew it. He just hoped neither Hughes nor Edward had noticed how hard it been for him to go into this home, how close the past clung to him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

 

Winry smiled at Riza as she passed her friend's desk in the Fuhrer's anteroom. “Is she ready for me?”

“Go on in, Winry,” Riza replied, then said in a whisper. “Don't let her bully you.”

Winry's smile faded. She knew too well what Fuhrer Olivia Armstrong was capable of from the moment the woman had barged into the Rockbell home after learning of Edward, Alphonse and Mr. Hughes's return. The Fuhrer wasn't one to trifle with, and the only two people she knew who could contradict woman and not potential get beheaded were Olivia's brother and Mustang. That man's silver tongue could get him out of nearly anything that didn't involve Edward or Dev.

“I'll be cautious,” she promised, then rapped on the door.

“Get in here, Miss Rockbell,” Armstrong yelled.

Taking a deep breath, Winry went inside. There was no mistaking why this woman was called the Wall of Briggs. She had the imposing physical presence most Armstrongs did, and the cold of Briggs wafted off of her, seeming to make the room feel like an ice fort.

“You're two minutes late, Miss Rockbell.” Armstrong gestured to the chair in front of her desk. 

Winry slipped into it. “Sorry, Madam Fuhrer ,but there was a long line to be vetted so I could enter the building,” Winry said, fully expecting Armstrong to tell her she should have anticipated that and shown up earlier.

Armstrong snorted. “They are the model of inefficiency, but I've been told my way of instilling discipline is too over the top.”

Winry didn't want to know what that might have been and hoped Armstrong wasn't expecting a comment.

“Mustang gave me a couple of names to help start up automail clinics in New Ishbal and your name topped the list. He has a personal connection to you, doesn't he?” Armstrong’s cold gaze swept over Winry.

“He's my client, ma'am, and a friend.”

“So would you be interested in going to New Ishbal and set up the first clinic? Any injuries sustained in the war would be covered by a fund we've set up to help the war victims.” Armstrong sounded almost proud of that fund, which surprised Winry. She hadn't expected her to care one way or the other. “Any new injuries will be paid by them, with assistance from the fund for the first five years until they get on their feet.”

“I'm interested in helping, Fuhrer Armstrong, but I'm not sure I want to move to New Ishbal.” No, Winry knew she didn't want to. She had no illusions to how hard it would be for a non-Ishbalan to live there. At least she was young enough to not have been part of the war, which would make things marginally easier. 

 

“I'm surprised,” Armstrong said, folding her arms across her chest.

“I have clients here, ma'am, a good contract with the military, not to mention my friends and family. My grandmother is getting on now.”

“And you're involved with the Fullmetal Alchemist,” Armstrong countered, again taking Winry by surprise. She hadn’t thought Armstrong would remember that.

“Yes,” Winry said, though some days she wondered. Edward could get so funny about things, especially if he thought people were paying attention to them. Most men would probably proudly proclaim her as their girlfriend, but she had managed to find the two men who didn't. Dev, at least, had pressure from his people for dating a non-Ishbalan. Winry would give her left arm to know what Edward's problem was. Alphonse had suggested it was merely shyness but when had Edward ever been shy about anything?  
“It would be a shame to turn down a plum opportunity for some man,” Armstrong said in a tone that suggested it would never happen to her.

“It's not that, ma'am. I like my job here. I was more interested in helping to select someone to go. Rush Valley is all but overrun with mechanics. I thought some of the younger ones might be eager to strike out on their own, and might be more acceptable since they would be too young to have had anything to do with the war. One or two more experienced mechanics should oversee things, though, and my mentor, Mr. Garfiel, would have suggestions for the most apolitical ones.”

Olivia considered that for several moments then nodded. “That is a sound idea, if you’re sure you wouldn’t want to go.”

“I’d be happy to go and help set it up, but after talking for many long hours with Dev Jasso, that’s the young priest who works with Mustang, I’m sure it’s not a place for me long term,” Winry replied without hesitation. Truth be told, Rush Valley would have depressed her, if she hadn’t been so busy. The unrelenting brownness of it broken up only by desert plants had seemed so empty and unwelcoming after the lush greenness of her home town. 

“As you wish. I do have a few more candidates to interview but being able to work with Mustang, Jasso and the other Ishbalans. You already have that ability,” Olivia said.

“As well as Fullmetal who is supposed to be working with them as well,”

“Point taken. We'll send word one way or another, Miss Rockbell.”

Winry nodded, taking that as a dismissal. She went back to the anteroom and Riza smiled at her.

“How did it go?”

“Other than I think the Fuhrer thinks I'm stupid for wanting to stay here with Edward, I think it went well, but I’m pretty sure her opinion on my choice in men isn't singular.” Winry smiled.

“I married Roy. I'm in no position to talk about being with aggravating men. 

 

“Excellent point.” Winry laughed. 

“How is Edward doing?”

“Let's see, he's whining a lot about being cold, that Al is studying too hard, that I work too hard and I know he's upset about that arson he and Mr. Hughes are working on. He tells me he's not but he forgets how well I know him.”

“Roy was called in that. The whole family was murdered.”

Winry nodded. “I saw the paper. I'm not sure I like Ed in investigation but it's probably a better fit than the diplomatic stuff General Mustang is doing. Then again I couldn't see Dev doing it either but he does well enough when he's not tormenting the general.” 

Riza wagged her head. “He enjoys that, both of them. I swear Roy does. Winry, there will be a Longest Night celebration coming up. It might be just the thing to distract Edward.”

“I'll keep that in mind. I'll tell Al as well. I worry about him. Ed and I are fine, even if I want to throttle him five days out of seven.” Winry smiled again. “But Al is still torn up over losing Ziata back in that other world. Who could blame him?”

“No one,” Riza's face clouded. “He does seem to like Miao-Yin.”

Winry wondered how much of that was like and how much was lust. Roy's niece was gorgeous. Winry rarely noticed other women or fashion but even she wasn't blind to Miao-Yin. Even Ed noticed and if Roy was to be believed, Ed was dead from the hips down. Winry knew from intimate experience Roy was wrong but sometimes Ed's reactions were too hilarious for her to jump in and defuse the situation. It made her a bad girlfriend but Winry was relatively sure Riza didn't jump in and save Roy in similar situations. “He does,” she replied. “But she won't be in Central forever.”

Neither would Al, Winry realized. She wasn't even sure if she and Ed would be either. Ed had three more years to give back to the military but would he want to stay? If she had her practice established here, most likely he'd find something to do in town. Winry wondered what Ed wanted to do with his life. She'd have to ask.

“It's hard to say. Miao-Yin is young. She could do and go anywhere,” Riza said. “We both certainly did.”

“Can't argue that. I better get going. I need to do some post-op checks on my patients before I hit the grocery store. I promised Ed I'd try something special for dinner. I think he's getting tired of the three things I know how to cook.” Winry grinned. “Even if it is stew weather.”

“Good luck. I'm lucky. Roy enjoys cooking.”

“I'm trying to push Ed that way. He keeps saying alchemy started in the kitchen so you'd think he'd know what a spatula is for.” Winry waved goodbye and headed out hoping all the work she'd done in preparing lists, going out to Ishbal to check on sites wasn't going to go to waste. Roy had asked her to be proactive and Winry suspected he knew just how to manipulate the Fuhrer into selecting her to oversee things, but she couldn't exactly tell from that interview. As she headed to the hospital, she let her mind drift to the Creatan dish Roy had told her about, chicken poached in wine. Winry just hoped it came out well. If not, at least they'd have an open bottle of wine to help them forget about it.

 

XXX

 

“I appreciate you inviting me over, Dev,” Al said, sitting on the couch in the Ishbalan styled living room. He enjoyed looking around Dev and Aris's apartment whenever he came over because he always spotted something new. During his time on Earth, Al realized how different – and how the same – people of different cultures could be and that he had known very little about the ones in his own world. All he had known about the Ishbalans were the unkind, and potentially untrue, accounts in the history books in grade school and what little Scar had told him. He knew even less about Creatans, Drachmans and the rest. He made it a point to learn more and was taking a multi-cultural class at the university. 

“No problem. I didn't really want to take the books out in this weather,” Dev said from the kitchen. “Some of them are very old.”

“Believe me, I know what it's like to take care of old books.” If there was one thing an alchemist knew, it was that. 

“I'm just happy someone has an interest in Ishbalan herbal medicine. I mean, it wasn't my first choice of a career but when I was younger, Uzziel and my other mentors didn't think I had the temperament to be a teaching priest.”

Al wasn't sure Dev had the temperament to be a healing one either. He seemed squeamish about a lot of things. He was fairly sure that Dev being a priest at all had a lot to do with pity and an attempt to help a severely wounded and disabled victim of the war, not that he'd ever say that. Dev seemed to recognize it for what it was judging by some of the things he'd said. “I'm very interested. This will help me a lot. I can use the information for my multicultural paper and I need a student experiment in chemistry.”

“I would have thought you'd use alchemy for that,” Dev came in carrying a tray. Al resisted the urge to get up and help him even though he could see Dev's automail fingers were having issues maintaining their grip. He'd been through Ed learning to use automail and he knew how surly his brother had gotten when anyone tried to help. Dev shared Ed's personality. Still Al leaned forward and all but snatched his glass cup off the tray just in case.

“I could use alchemy but it seemed like a cheat.” Al shrugged, waiting for Dev to get the tray down so he could help himself to a couple of the brown sugar cubes waiting cup. “This way I can look at one of your healing ointments and maybe one of the Xingese and use the separation columns to get chemicals to put through the new gas chromatography the university has. It would look better to the medical school, I think, other than alchemy.”

“Not even that 'dragon's blood' Xingese stuff that Miao-Yin knows?” Dev sugared his own tea.

Al raised his glass, savoring the sweet, heavy smell of mint. Ishbalan tea wasn't as complex as the Xingese stuff Roy had been treating him to, but there was something downright comforting about the mint tea. “I considered it but not everyone can or wants to know alkahestry and alchemy On the other hand, everyone can rub ointments on themselves.”

“I see your point.” Dev sighed. “I wish I could get as excited as you do about this stuff, Al.”

“Did you ever think about doing anything else? You’re older now. Maybe you’re more suited to teaching than you think,” Al said, though he wasn’t sure he should go down this pathway with Dev. There wasn’t going to be a happy rainbow at the end of it.

“I like being a priest and no, I really haven’t thought of doing anything else. I never really went to school, not after I was injured. I learned the healing arts from my mentors and that was the end of that. I know I’ll never be a warrior priest, which I wanted to do, even when I was young.” Dev shrugged. “I guess most boys want to since it looks really cool. But let’s face it, until these past few years, there wasn’t much an Ishbalan could do other than keep their heads down and hide. I suppose I could go to the university with you somehow. They’re making exceptions for Ishbalan students, giving us prep classes, but I had no idea what I’d want to do. Not nursing! I’ve listened to enough of my mother’s stories to know I’d be an awful nurse.” 

Al snorted. “Don't you have to deal with patients now?”

“Not ones that are _that_ injured. Arthritis, stomach aches, respiratory issues, which are gross enough with the mucus. I can't deal well with blood.”

“Or needles. You and Ed are such babies about them.”

“I prefer to think of it as a highly developed sense of self preservation and a dislike of pain,” Dev sniffed. “Besides, I do allow Miao-Yin and Li-Ying to do those acupuncture things to me.” 

“That's because you like them touching you, not because you're suddenly brave about needles.”

Dev let out a happy sigh. “Yeah, it's still not fair Miao-Yin is an alchemist.”

“From my point of view it is,” Al said and Dev shot human obscene gesture.

“I think what your brother is doing with Hughes and Armstrong is interesting work. I'm not sure that I could handle death any better than needles but I like the other portions of it. Granted that's a moot point. I'm no more likely to join the Amestrian military than I am to strip naked and run through the central market tomorrow.” Dev paused to drink his tea and Al wagged his head at the images. “And my leg puts me out of any physical work. It's never going to get good enough for that. I'll be honest, the idea of having the leg removed and having automail as extensive as Ed's scares me. I know he gets around very well but.....”

“But it weighs on him,” Al finished for him. “It takes a lot of energy just to walk let alone what Ed does. Or Roy for that matter. They barely even limp on their prostheses. Have you considered the surgeries to work on lengthening the tendons in the knee to help with the contractures?”

“Yes but not now in the middle of winter. I guess on one hand it would be the perfect time of year to just lie around and recover but if I have to go out for any reason, one slip will undo everything.”

“You have a point. I'm glad you're considering it.”

“Oh? Why?”

“I planned to ask you if I could sit in on the surgery.”

“That's just creepy. Why?”

“I might want to be a surgeon. It would certainly help Winry's practice.”

Dev shrugged. “Just don't puke into my open wounds.”

“I'm not the squeamish one,” Al reminded him, picking up one of the books he'd come to see. “Oh, it's in Ishbalan. I'm just starting to learn that language.”

“That's the other reason it was better for you to come here. I can't just give you most of these books. They'd be in gibberish as far as you're concerned.”

“Alchemists are good with gibberish. We invented it,” Al said, grinning. “But it helps to at least know the language the gibberish is in. Where shall we start?”

“Unguents for cuts and scrapes or arthritis medicine?”

“Let's try to unguents. I can always plate out some bacteria and see if it'll kill them,” Al felt the scientific creative juices flowing. This was going to be a fun project.”

“Just wipe your hands thoroughly on Mustang before coming to see me.”

Yes, it would be a very fun project indeed.

XXX

“Have you heard anything yet?” Roy sank to his knees on the living room rug so he could take Riza's shoes off.

“Not yet. You have to be patient.” She ruffled his hair.

“Easy for you to say,” he muttered, rubbing her foot after peeling off the thick winter dress sock. 

“I'm the one who might be pregnant. Your part in this is already over with.”

“Not over with.” He planted a kiss on her thigh. “I think we can make doubly sure of this whole pregnancy thing.”

The front door slammed shut. “Hey, brother!” Li-Ying's voice carried in from the foyer.

Roy rested his head against Riza's knee. “Why is my house plagued with people?” 

“And hello to you, Roy.” Li-Ying came into the room judging by the sounds of footfalls. Roy was in no mood to get up from where he was, at least not until his erection subsided. Li-Ying would be merciless. “Ah, sorry, Riza. I see he was busy.” She looked over Riza's shoulder. If Roy were the blushing type, he'd be red now.

“It's not what you think,” Riza said,

“Yes it is. Go away,” Roy snarled and Riza swatted the top of his head. 

“Sorry. I was going to ask if you wanted to go to the movies. I won tickets on the radio. I thought it would be nice to double date but if you want to stay home and indulge your baser instincts, fine.”

“It's cold out there and I do,” Roy grumbled at the same time as Riza asked “What movie?”

He looked at her and Riza arched an eyebrow. He sighed, getting up. 

“It's called _The Night of the Dead_ and is supposed to be really scary. You'll get to cuddle in the movie then come home and do completely indecent things to each other.”

Roy rolled his eyes. “Riza doesn't get scared by movies.”

“I was talking to Riza.” Li-Ying leaned over the couch to slap his arm. “You're the scaredy-cat.”

“Am not and don't say that where Elric or Jasso will hear you,” he huffed. He had gotten scared once in a movie. He was nine and his sisters never let him live it down.

“I can be bribed.”

“When exactly are you going back home, Li-Ying?” Roy asked and this time Riza's swat caught him in the stomach.

“I might just move in here permanently,” his sister answered with a wide smile.

“Like hell.”

“You'll miss me when I'm gone.”

“Again, like hell. My new wife and I will relish the silence.”

“Roy, is it ever silent when you're around?” Li-Ying's smile widened.

“Do I have to separate you two?” Riza got up. 

“If I buy you popcorn at the theatre, brother, will you hush?” 

“Maybe,” Roy said because what was a movie without pounds of buttered popcorn? He'd just have to be sure that he didn't end up wedged next to Alex Louis in the seats. He'd be surprised if his sister's muscular boyfriend could even jam himself into a seat.

“I'll get you a large,” his sister said, reading his mind.

“The dead in the movie didn't end up that way from a fire did they?” Riza asked, her eyes cutting Roy's way. “He's dealing with murder by arson right now.”

“No, I think it was government experiment gone wrong or is it magic? I don't know but no fires,” Li-Ying said.

Roy was grateful Riza asked. He hadn't thought to but he definitely wouldn't have wanted to deal with that. The arson was hard enough. Still, the movie could be a fun diversion from his night's plans. No matter what happened, he had to be sure he didn't jump in his seat or his entire office would know about it and he'd never be able to show his face.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Al held the door to the Ishbala rec center open for Winry then raced in after her. He loved winter but even he was at his limits with how cold and snowy it was. Still, it felt good to get out of the house. He'd been cramming for classes trying to complete enough of them to start medical school next fall. He and Winry were already talking about sharing a practice when he was finished. “I hope Ed's ready to go. I'm starving,” he said threading through the surprisingly crowded main room. He would have thought the Ishbalans would be home where it was warm but considered the possibility that the center was warmer and more comfortable than their housing.

“It's been a while since we all three had time off at the same time,” Winry said, walking into where Roy had his temporary offices. She waved at Havoc and Meara who were in the anteroom. Dev and several other priests were in Roy's back office, though the door was open so Al took that to mean they weren't discussing anything too contentious.

“True. Since we're here, have you told Roy yet about the meeting with the Fuhrer?” Al nudged Winry who shook her head.

 

“Not yet.”

“Is there something wrong with the work you've been doing, Winry?” Meara asked, worry knitting her face up.

“No, but Roy may have been premature about having me do as much research as I have.”

Meara nodded sympathetically. “Sometimes he's a little quick on the trigger,” she said and Havoc snorted. “Not that sort of quick triggered, Havoc.”

Al grinned, catching the innuendo. He wondered if Ed would have blushed. His brother could be so prudish. “Is my brother around? We're supposed to go to lunch.”

“I think he left. I'm not sure though,” Havoc said.

“Did he think he was meeting us for lunch?? Winry turned to Al.

He shook his head. “No, we hadn't decided on a place to eat.”

“He left with Hughes,” Dev said, coming out of Roy's office. Al noticed he was leaning on his cane more than usual. He might have fallen on the ice again.

“They had a job?” Winry couldn't keep her disappointment from showing.

“I think so. Why don't you go tell Mustang about your meeting, Winry? Kennan and Uzziel would be interested to know too I'm sure.” Dev jerked a thumb toward the office. 

She nodded, going inside. Al scowled. “I’m sorry to hear that. I was really hoping that Ed could come to lunch.”

“Whatever it was, Hughes didn’t look happy,” Dev said. “I know Ed was unnaturally quiet.”

Al rocked back at that. Any kind of quiet was unusual for Edward unless he was lost deep in his studies. “I guess Winry and I will just go on our own once she’s done talking to Roy.”

“At least you remembered your brother unlike my friends who said we were going to lunch and then forgot me.” Dev sighed.

 

Based on some of his observations and some of the things Roy had said, Al wondered if Dev’s so-called friends forgot or purposely excluded him. Al had only the vaguest of ideas how that felt. In Germany, they had been regarded as foreigners. That had been true of most everyplace they visited and it was true of course. Still, it stung. How much worse was it to know your friends avoided you because you were in the diplomatic corps trying to forge a peace and a new future with your former enemies? Al felt sorry for Dev. He liked the priest, even if he was a bit too much like Edward sometimes. Those were the times Al usually felt sorry for Roy instead. 

“You can come with us.”

“I'm not an Ed substitute.” Dev glanced back at Winry as if thinking yes he had been. 

“No, you might be slightly more refined than my brother and definitely taller.” Al smirked. “But seriously, we'd be happy to go with you.”

“Thanks. I might as well. If I don’t go soon, Mustang will find something for me to do and I’ll never get lunch,” Dev grumbled obviously in a bad mood. 

Al hoped he wouldn’t regret asking Dev along. “I noticed you’re limping. Did you fall again?”

Dev shook his head, rubbing his metal hand along his thigh. “I’ve been lazy about my exercises. Don’t tell Miao-Yin you saw me limping. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Al’s eyebrows rose. “She has a point about keeping up with them.”

Dev sighed. “I know. I’ve just been so busy with this band of visiting priests. They have not been…”His red eyes studied Al as if wondering just how much he could trust Al with. “Easy. I really don’t want to get into it.”

Al held up a hand. “I don’t need to know about diplomatic woes.” 

“I wish I didn't. Your brother had a good idea, running away from Mustang's detail. If I could have, I might have joined him, but it's hard to run from the cranky priests when you are one.” Dev offered up a rueful smile.

Al chuckled. “I'm sure. I'm glad to have nothing to do with it but I'm sure I’ll have plenty of my own kind of career craziness.”

“You're dealing with people, so yes definitely.”

“Sick people,” Winry offered, leaving Roy's office. “You'll never be bored. Dumbfounded yes, but never bored. Bitten, kicked, spat on but not bored.”

“Rough day?” Dev asked.

“They asked me to check the automail on some old soldiers. I got my hair pulled twice and my butt pinched a half dozen times. I never considered that when I took on the military contract.”

“Men are a hazard,” Al agreed. “And we have trouble ignoring a lovely lady, no matter how old we get.”

“At least you won't have men pinching your butt, Al,” Winry said.

“He hopes.” Dev laughed, limping over fetch his jacket. “Al invited me along, Winry. If that's okay.”

“Of course. Arthur's deli or The Green Bowl?” Winry asked.

“The Green Bowl is mostly salads right?” Dev asked. “I'm not in the mood for that.”

 

“I could go for a bowl of chicken soup for the deli,” Al said.

“Sounds good to me,” Winry said.

It was only a short walk to the deli, made slightly longer by Dev's slow pace. His cane tapped out their progress to the deli which wasn't particularly full since lunch was over for most people, not to mention the bitter cold. The scent of chicken soup and brisket filled the air, making Al's mouth water. He was getting so used to eating out. He did know how to cook but he was often just too busy. Ed wasn't very savvy in the kitchen, more out of a lack of interest than a lack of talent. Alchemists tended to be very good cooks since that's where their science started. Maybe he should start cooking more judging by the fact the waitress greeted him by name as she sailed by with a tray of food.

“She's cute, Al. Anything we should know?” Winry grinned at him. “I would have thought Miao-Yin would keep you busy.”

“Would keep me busy,” Dev mumbled.

“All you need to know is I eat here a little too often. Miao-Yin and I are perfectly fine.” Al shook his head as he took a nearby table.

“Thanks for inviting me,” Dev said again.

“It's not a problem. You really don't know what Ed got called away for?” Winry said.

“I would tell you. What did Mustang say? Is something wrong I should know about?” Dev asked, not looking up from the menu.

“Roy might have been a little premature in sending me to the desert since the Fuhrer might want someone else to head up establishing automail clinics there.” Winry grimaced. 

“We'll see about that,” Dev reached over, resting his hand on hers briefly, just long enough to make Al wonder if he was entirely over being her former boyfriend. “I'll have Uzziel say something in your favor. We're the ones who'll have to deal with whoever gets the job. We should have a say in who that person is.”

“Thanks, Dev. Roy said something similar. I'm pretty sure I’ll be the one to help set it up and help to find someone to move out there,” Winry said. “I'm going to have to get that chicken soup now, thanks for putting it in my head, Al.”

“You won't regret it. Besides, it'll warm you right up.”

“I could go for that. Ed has to be freezing with all that metal.” Dev rubbed his arm just above the docking port. “I had no idea just how much cold this arm could transmit. I keep putting it on the heater.” He wrinkled his nose. “That is okay, isn't it, Winry?”

“Are you then going around jabbing Roy in the neck with it like I saw Ed do last week?” She eyed him.

Dev looked away. “Yes.”

“Then no, it's not okay. Otherwise, you're fine.”

He snorted. “He deserves it. He enjoys it.”

“The sad part, Winry, is Dev is probably right.”

She shook her head. “You are awful and you probably aren't wrong. Before I order, because I don't want to think about this over food, does anyone else feel like this new thing that called Ed away is something really bad? I'm not one for premonitions but I have this feeling in my gut.”

Dev nodded. “Judging by Hughes' face, you're right. That man is kinda goofy but there was nothing goofy about him today.”

“That frightens me just a little,” Al said, feeling his own gut knot up. “It might be a long night.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Dev asked.

“I'm not sure. If my brother holds to pattern, he will not be pleasant tonight. Withdrawn mostly,” Al said, all too familiar with his brother's moods.

“I'll come over tonight,” Winry said. “I'm going to have to know what this was about.”

Al nodded, suddenly afraid this day was going to take a severe turn for the worse.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Roy wanted to go home. He wanted to know if Riza had heard back from the doctor. He wanted to know what was happening wherever Hughes had dragged off Ed. If it had been about the arson case, he probably would have told Roy. He had to resist the urge to call Hughes and see if he needed help. Anything to get him out of the meeting with the Ishbalan priests. He was more than used to Uzziel and Kennan at this point but the group that appeared a few weeks ago were pretty horrid.

He knew he shouldn't blame them for how much contempt they held him in. He had devastated the Ishbalans and he should be grateful they passed on executing him for war crimes. He _was_ grateful, but that didn't mean he wanted to be stuck in an office listening to them snipe at him all day long. As much as he wanted to make restitution to the Ishbalans, it was grinding on him so maybe he wasn't cut out for the diplomatic corps after all. He did share some of Edward's less endearing traits. How could he be smart enough to give Ed a pass on most of this work? Why the hell didn't he ask to be shipped to Briggs or something? Hell, he really was a masochist even more than he realized.

“General, are you listening?” Uzziel asked.

Roy glanced over at him and saw the priest glaring at him from his spot at Uzziel's side. “Yes, and I don't have an answer for you. I thought that Miss Rockbell could go forward with the plan. I'll put a call into the Fuhrer once we’re done here and see why she's shopping around. I don't know what she's planning but it's most likely the report on Miss Rockbell's progress was lost between my office and the Fuhrer's and she didn't know I had started this.”

“Your list of things to deal with continues to get longer and longer,” Kennan said with no sympathy at all.

“Running away to Xing is sounding better. It's supposed to get a little easier in the winter since we can't do as much in the way of building but I ended up with an extra duty that is draining. I apologize if I seem distracted.”

“It's all right. Dev said it was an arson they asked you to help investigate,” Uzziel said.

“Not just an arson but a murder. Someone made sure the family couldn't escape.” Roy rubbed a hand over his face, his glass eye feeling like it was aching in his skull. “I'm not the one who has to find out who did it. General Hughes needed me to look over the clues to the fire.”

“To what end?” 

“It's what I wanted to do when I learned fire alchemy. I'm working with the investigators to figure out how fires start so we can separate the ones that start by accident from the ones that are purposefully set. It was actually one of your priests who suggested I write a book. He was being facetious but it's not a bad idea. I can't be everywhere, in spite of what Fuhrer Armstrong thinks, but the book can be.”

“When she said that, I assumed she meant pieces of you could be everywhere.” Kennan smirked.

Roy snorted. “Probably.”

“You joke about him sharing his knowledge?” The priest turned on Kennan, anger in his face.

“I'm just talking simple observations, anything you or anyone else could do if you just knew where to look. I'm not talking about my alchemy. That shall never be repeated. It ends here,” Roy assured him, hating to have to keep repeating that fact because he was half afraid someone would take him up on that and end the knowledge immediately. 

“He does seem to have safeguards in place for that and for the moment he loses control of himself and goes mad with power,” Uzziel said.

“How could he manage that?” the priest snarled. “You saw what he did in the war?”

“Hired my own assassins,” Roy replied. “I'm just as vulnerable to weapons as anyone else, especially if I don't see it coming. If you don't mind, I'd rather get back on topic.”

“As far as that goes, I think we’ve gone as far as we can with winter settling in like it has,” Kennan said. “Building has come to a halt. Now you’re waiting on the Fuhrer to see what will happen with the automail clinics.”

“I need to get a report from Mrs. Jasso on how things are going with hospital design as well,” Roy said. “How about recruitment for the colleges? We haven’t covered that yet.” 

“Hala said that she has a full class worth of students for the nursing program. I don't know about the other programs,” Kennan replied. “Meara! Do you have the reports on school enrollment?”

“Not on hand,” his daughter called from the other room. “Dev was working on those. Give me a minute to find them.”

Roy sighed. This was not going to be an easy day.

XXX 

 

“Breathe through your mouth,” Hughes said as Edward climbed into the train car behind him.

“I know,” Ed growled. He wasn’t a little kid any more. Hell _this_ Hughes had never seen him as a kid, not really, not after the horror they’d seen in Germany before making it back to Amestris. Edward had accepted his temporary duty assignment to Investigations with eyes wide open. He knew they’d have to investigate death. After all, Maes Hughes’s death had been investigated by the very branch he worked with. Of course, now, the world thought that death had been faked, and that Earth’s Meinhard Hughes was Maes. Both men coddled him sometimes, and Hughes’s admonishment to breathe through his mouth was just one example of it.

The moment he actually got on the train, Edward wanted off. Hughes’s advice wasn’t even very helpful. The metallic, minerally scent of blood slammed into his nasal passages as hard as if driven in by the train itself. Accompanying it was an odor akin to the days Pitt’s grandfather mucked out the barns back home. 

No one should have to look at something like this. Edward knew he had seen horrific things – too damned many of them in his short life – but this topped the list. Something had picked through this orphan train with an eye to generating lifelong nightmares. Children, orphans from Central and its surrounding feeder cities, headed to the country and hopefully a better life on trains like this. These children met a death Edward couldn’t even imagine.

A girl lay at his feet, torn in two, and yet no entrails dangled from the rent torso. He didn’t even want to know why not. Several more, it was hard to tell how many because there were so many parts strewn over the seats and into the aisle, draped over the train seats. The windows were nothing but smears of blood. Hughes knelt next to one seat, studying the dead child. Edward couldn’t move to do the same. Alphonse, Winry and he had been orphans – well, maybe not technically in Alphonse’s and his case, but their bastard father had been gone so long they might as well have been. If not for Granny and Izumi, this could have been them on a train like this, not even knowing if they would be together by the end of the ride. That fear had been supplanted by something more terrible on this train.

Edward shook himself, his automail clattering slightly. “Hughes, do you see something?”

Hughes beckoned him forward. Apparently Edward’s rebuffing Hughes’s attempts to shield him, translated into ‘if you want to do this job, then do it.’ “I think something has eaten them.”

Edward did not want to know that. He didn’t want to see how Hughes figured it out, but this was his job and he wasn’t a child any longer. Edward leaned over the back of the seat so he could see. The fabric felt tacky, gluing his fingers down. He refused to look at how much blood was seeping against his skin, staining his gloves. “How can you tell?”

Hughes used a pencil to push back a flap of rent flesh and pointed at an exposed rib. “These look like teeth marks to me.”

Edward shut his eyes. For a moment, he saw his own severed leg spurting blood; the hot, sticky wetness of it as he tried to stem the flow. He pushed off the seat, opening his eyes again. At least he had been spared seeing his brother looking like these children. Alphonse had been unspooled, as if a special effect at the movies, terrifying, yet bloodless. It had reminded him of that scientist who mixed his body up with that of a fly.

“Edward, are you all right?”

“Are you?” he shot back, pulling himself together. No one was going to see him be weak. Hughes didn’t answer, just studied him from behind his glasses. “I’ll check the next one.”

He didn’t want to, but he went to the closest child, who had merely lost a leg. She was paler than a doll from Xing, bled out. He could see the gnawed end of femur. “Definitely bit off. This couldn’t have been a dog, could it? Not even a pack.”

“Maybe a well-trained pack. There had to be a human to let them in.” Hughes moved to another child, reaching down. He came up with a tuft of hair, holding it out for inspection. It was short, tawny with a hint of a spot on it. “Or mountain cat, but it would still need a human.”

A chill raced through Edward as the past ran him over like a thundering herd. Nina, Douchet, Martel; him washing the snake-chimera’s blood out of Al’s armor. “Hughes, I think I know what it was. A chimera.”

Hughes’s face pinched. “Ed, I know we got here from a Greek god’s altar, but you can’t seriously think a Greek mythological monster came to life.”

Edward waved his hand. “No, not myth. Alchemy.” He sighed, shuddering. “We’re going to need to get Al and the bastard. Mustang might know if they came across a mountain cat experiment after they dismantled the things Bradley did.” 

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but alchemy’s your field. I’ll send someone to get them here now. We should probably stop until they arrive. We could go get warm,” Hughes said. “And you can explain what a chimera is.”

Nodding, Edward tried to picture where warmth would come from for two soldiers smeared with the blood of children. How could he explain to Hughes how some alchemists had taken Tucker’s work and expanded it beyond Tucker’s own sick experiments? That they’d turned men and women into monstrous soldiers? Who knew if Roa, Douchet, Martel, and their ilk were the only ones out there? Edward bet they weren’t alone. The evident was spattered all around the bus. The chimera was out there. A chimera with a taste for children’s flesh. To stop something like that, Edward would do anything, even work with Roy Mustang without complaining about it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Roy sighed. This was not the plan. He had wanted out of dealing with the visiting Ishbalan priests since they hated him so much. At this point, he wished he was back in his office. When Hughes had called him out, Roy had thought maybe they had run the arsonist down to the train station. Next to him, Havoc shifted, restless. He could smell it just the same as Roy: blood, a lot of it. The soldiers knew that smell too well, along with many other unpleasant ones.

“Did Hughes tell you what this was about?” Havoc asked, locking the car door.

“No, just that I had to come here immediately.” Roy squinted, trying to focus on the cab that pulled up to the curb. He shouldn’t be so nosy and he was shocked when Al got out. That somehow made things worse because there was no reason for Al to be here. What the hell had happened?

“This is about alchemy, isn’t it?” Havoc asked.

Roy nodded, noticing Havoc thumbing off the strap over his gun’s holster. It was a good precaution. “I’m afraid so. Alphonse, what are you doing here?”

“Ed called. He said he needed my help.” Al quickly stepped down the icy sidewalk. “He didn’t say why.”

“Hughes did the same for me. It doesn’t bode well,” Roy grimaced. “Alphonse, stay behind Havoc and I, please.”

“Sir, if they had time to call us, the danger’s probably passed,” Alphonse reasoned. “Besides I can handle myself.”

“I know you can, Alphonse. But you’re no longer armor,” Roy replied. “Besides, this is a military operation. I shouldn’t even allow a civilian to bumble around in it. If I didn’t know your brother had a very good reason to call you here, I wouldn’t even let you stay.”

Alphonse didn’t argue further. It was easy enough to find where Hughes and Ed had to be. There were several other soldiers stood guard around one car. As they crossed over to them, Roy could see the strain on their faces and knew it wasn’t just from the cold. 

One of the privates saluted him. “They are in car number three, General, sir.”

“Thank you. Mr. Elric is with me.” He swept a hand at Alphonse. 

The private nodded and went back to his guard duty. The scent of blood filled their noses as they got closer. The moment he stepped on the train, Roy felt his gorge rise. Behind him, Havoc swore and Alphonse gagged.

“What the hell happened here?” Roy could barely look at the scene. He could almost feel his mind spooling back to Ishbal. He took a deep breath. He couldn't come undone here.

“That's why I told Hughes to call you,” Edward's voice was uncharacteristically tight. The younger man looked to his mentor.

“Ed had an idea this might be some kind of chimera. These children were literally chewed and torn apart,” Hughes said, gesturing at the body of the nearest child. “Like a pack of dogs, but with intelligence.”

“I thought about Douchet, Martel, and the others,” Ed said, crossing over to his brother. He tried to put himself between Alphonse and the sight of the dead bodies. Alphonse didn't fight him on that.

Roy forced himself to look more closely. “Is there anything else that points to chimera, or just your gut feeling, Edward?”

“Can we not say gut?” Edward turned green. “But no, it's just intuition 

Roy nodded. “I think it's good intuition.”

“Does the military have records on the chimera?” Hughes asked.

Roy couldn't hold in the derisive laugh. “I'm sure they did, but Bradley's crew buried them well. If the records ever did surface, I don't know about it. I'll talk to Olivia. I'm a betting man, and I would wager that the ones Edward and Alphonse met in the past weren't the only ones.”

“There's no way they were the only ones,” Edward grumbled.

“I have to agree with my brother,” Alphonse said, easing closer to one of the dead children. Roy realized he had to be testing himself. He would see horrible things as a doctor.

“So what do we do now?” Havoc asked.

“We've collected all the evidence we can. It needs to go to the medical examiner,” Hughes said. 

 

“Knox is easy to work with and very thorough. I would suggest the idea of chimera and chewing to him. There might be things he can do to prove or disprove that.” 

Hughes nodded. “Good, I’ll talk to him. This is totally out of my field. Alchemy is your gig.” His eyes flicked toward Havoc.

It had been decided that most of the conversations about Hughes being from an alternative world were going to be very limited. Havoc didn’t need to hear much and what more needed to be said? In Hughes’s world, alchemy didn’t even really exist other than a dead line of chemistry held in deep disrespect. That world had to have been such a strange place.

“Edward, anything more you want me and your brother to see that you haven’t mentioned?” Roy asked.

Edward shook his head. “Mostly I thought you should see it in person rather than just in pictures.” He turned to his brother. “Sorry, Al.”

“No, you’re right.” Alphonse didn’t sound happy about it. 

Roy wasn’t either, but it had to be done. Hughes took him down the aisle to show him some of the gruesome details while Edward did the same with Alphonse. Roy hoped they didn’t see how much his hands shook. Seeing the children killed him a little inside. 

“You all right?” Hughes whispered.

Roy shook his head. “Reminds me of the war.”

“If you’ve seen enough, you should probably just go. We all should and let the coroner start his work,” Hughes said. “Is Havoc taking you home after this?”

“I was going to go back to the office, but I think home does sound better,” Roy said. 

“It is a better choice,” Hughes replied.

Roy took another deep breath. “But it’s also a fantasy. I have to talk to the Fuhrer about this before that can happen. We all need to. Now.”

“We can leave this to the soldiers and Knox,” Hughes agreed. “You’d better call him.”

Roy nodded and tried not to stumble as he walked to the car’s door. He paused, not really looking at the brothers. “We’re all going to talk to the Fuhrer now, after I call for the medical examiner. She’ll want to hear this from all of us.”

“Great, that’ll just top this day off,” Edward grumbled, but he fell into step behind Roy. 

Roy didn’t blame Edward for not really being a fan of Olivia. She had more or less threatened him into a few more years of service, but the payoff was good. Edward and his brother, along with Maes’s doppelganger, could return to their lives after years of being gone. Besides, Edward wouldn’t be Edward without something to complain about. Roy headed to the nearest phone booth, pausing at its door as he always did ever since Maes died in one. He looked around three times for any threat before cramming himself into it, back to a wall so he could keep an eye on the door. He made the call, and Knox said he’d be right there with his people.

They left the horrible scene with the soldiers to stand guard, and crammed into the government-issued car so Havoc could drive them to the Fuhrer’s office. Roy hoped if anyone noticed his hands shaking – and who could miss in such close quarters –they’d write it off to the cold. It wouldn’t be that much of a lie, after all. The drive was in nearly dead silence. Anyone knowing them, knowing how unnatural silence was for any of them, would have been put on instantaneous alarm.

It was nearly time for the office to close when they got there. Roy waved at Marilyn, one of the office girls who sprang up to intercept them. He allowed her to, not seeing Riza around. He had no real intention of letting Marilyn keep them out of the office, but barging in on Olivia wouldn’t work in their favor, either.

“I called ahead,” Hughes said, surprising Roy, even though it shouldn’t. Of course, Hughes and Edward would have informed the Fuhrer’s people about a carful of dead children. “We’re here about the train.”

Marilyn bobbed her head, her dark pony tail wiggling then she knocked on the Fuhrer’s office door before popping her head in. “Ma’am, it’s the investigators here about the train. General Mustang is with them.”

“Send them in,” Olivia replied.

“Havoc, you can stay here,” Roy said and his adjutant’s eyes lit up as he turned his attention to Marilyn. Roy waved the others into the office. He wasn’t surprised to see Riza standing behind the Fuhrer’s desk next to Olivia. They had been obviously going over some paperwork spread out on the carved rosewood behemoth Olivia called a desk.

Olivia pushed back from her desk a bit but didn’t invite them to sit. “Want to tell me about a train of dead children? How does this happen here of all places?”

“We’re working on that, Fuhrer,” Hughes said. “Major Elric believes that it might be the work of a chimera.”

Ed nodded when she turned her icy gaze on him. “I’ve worked with and fought against chimera before.”

“They’re some bastardization between animal and animal,” Olivia said reminding Roy that she had grown up in a family with a strong alchemical background. “Or animal and human.”

“I’m thinking the latter, ma’am,” Ed replied as politely as Roy had ever seen him. Did he finally find someone who could scare Elric into behaving? “That’s why we sent for my brother and Mustang. Al’s dealt with them before and Mustang knows about them.”

“We concur with Edward’s estimation of what happened there,” Roy replied.

“Whatever it was seemed to have the brains of a human but the bite strength of an animal. It ate parts of the kids,” Hughes grimaced and Olivia echoed it.

“Disgusting. Unacceptable,” she said.

Roy felt eyes on him and saw Riza staring at him as if judging how he was handling this. He ignored his wife and said, “What we need to find out is any military experiments that Bradley had his scientists conduct. We know of at least one dog, one bull and one snake cross with humans, not to mention whatever Shou Tucker turned himself and his daughter into. They’re all dead now but we can’t ignore that there could be more.”

“You know as well as I do, Mustang that most of his files were destroyed by supporters before things could be secured,” Olivia replied.

“There are still boxes of things in warehouses,” Riza countered. “Much of it hasn’t been documented yet.”

“True. Who do you want to assign to this, Hughes? Mustang has his own job to do,” Olivia said.

“I can work on my free time and so could Alphonse, if you clear him.” Roy was surprised Ed didn’t protest and he turned to Al. “If you have time between your studies.”

“I can make time to help out Ed,” Al promised.

“Sciezka would be perfect for sorting through boxes of paperwork,” Ed said and Roy nodded his agreement.

“I’d even say bring in Dev but only if you want the Ishbalans to know about this,” Roy directed that to Olivia. “He is good at research.”

Olivia scowled. “Is this really something you want to bring the Ishbalans in on?”

“Really? No, but I think if we play this right, it works for us. Cast Bradley in the role of a monster who made alchemists tinker with stuff like this and how we’re trying to root it out and stop it, might help.” Roy heard Ed start to say something and he turned so the young man wasn’t in his blind spot. “I know, Ed. I don’t like it either. I know these alchemists probably wanted to do it for the sheer challenge of it.”

“But it’s not what you can tell the Ishbalans,” Ed finished for him.

“Not even close. I think it was best only to tell Dev, Aris, Kennan and Uzziel. Let them decide what to do with that information.” Roy turned his good eye back on Olivia. “Does that sound feasible, ma'am?”

“Run with it.” Olivia glanced at the clock. “I can call down and keep that warehouse open if someone wants to start now.”

“I could,” Alphonse said, “If Ed's ready.”

His brother bobbed his head. “We can start while Hughes follows up with the coroner,” Ed said. “Mustang can handle the Ishbalans.”

“That won't happen until tomorrow morning. Tonight is some kind of holy festival for them,” Roy said. “I could go with you two.”

Olivia got up, her cool gaze sweeping over him. She saw his weakness and he knew it but to his surprise she said nothing. “From what I've seen that might be the recipe for more bickering and less work. Mustang can pick up with you tomorrow after talks to the Ishbalans and deals with his normal job.”

“We're at a lull for the most part because of the weather. I'm waiting on you to see if you have any other candidates than Winry Rockbell for the automail clinics in Ishbala,” Roy said. “And to work on getting people into classes to help diversify occupations for them. Aris, Meara and the others can handle it for a day without me,” Roy said. “I can help them tomorrow as soon as I talk to the priests.”

She nodded. “Let's do that then. Hawkeye, if you want to go now, that's fine. I'll make the call myself. It'll probably take my voice to convince them the order is real this late in the day,” Olivia said, sitting back down.

Roy took that as a dismissal. He headed toward the door. Hughes and the Elrics followed him. He looked at Hughes. “Do you want Havoc to take you home? We should swing the Elrics over to the warehouse first.”

“I can find my own way home. You make sure they get over there fast,” Hughes said.

“Havoc, we're ready,” Roy called. “We have an extra stop.”

“No problem. See ya, Marilyn.” Havoc waved, hoping up from the chair next to her desk.

 

The drive back was almost as silent as the one to the Fuhrer’s office. Roy wanted so much just to curl up with Riza in the back seat but that was pretty hard to do with Ed jammed back there with them. Once they got home Roy held the door open for his wife. He wanted nothing more than to go upstairs and dive under the covers and not come out.

Instead, his sister and niece met them at the door, bright smiles on their faces. Of course they didn’t know about what had happened.

“We made a nice traditional dinner, Uncle Roy,” Miao-Yin said. “One that’ll warm you up on a cold day like today.”

“That means you can start fires without the aid of your static glove, right?” Riza whispered.

Roy snorted. “Yeah. I’m not really hungry.”

Li-Ying eyed him up then asked. “What’s wrong? You look like the dead have risen.”

In a way they had, the dead of his past but Roy didn’t want to go into that. “It’s been a long day and I’m not really sure I should be talking about it.”

“Who could it hurt? We’re your family,” his sister argued.

“I don’t know how much, if anything will be out in the papers or on the radio. I’m not sure anything should get out but I do know Fuhrer Armstrong will flay me alive if I blab when I’m not supposed to,” Roy said.

“I’ll go check on dinner,” Miao-yin said, patting his arm. “You can tell Aunt Li-Ying.”

Roy watched his niece go. He didn’t know why it should make a difference but at least the youngest and most innocent of them was out of ear shot. “You can’t tell anyone, Li-Ying.”

“Who could I tell? Outside of you, the only people I know here is Alex Louis and his sister will probably tell _him_ ,” she argued. 

 

He sighed and Riza put an arm around him. “Let me change out of my uniform first.”

“Of course.”

He and Riza walked arm in arm up the wide staircase to their bedroom. 

“You don’t have to tell your sister you know,” she said as he peeled out of his clothing. She traded her own work clothes for a thick sweater and heavy pants.

Roy flopped on the bed, half out of his clothes. “I know. She’d probably even let it drop without much of a fuss but…”

“I can see how much this is haunting you, Roy. You don’t have to help Edward and Alphonse or even Hughes. You’re not in investigations.” Riza sat next to him, putting her hand on his belly. “I know you won’t give it up because you feel somehow responsible.”

“No, it’s not that. I know I’m not. I had nothing to do with this kind of research at all. But if I don’t at least help, I’m doing nothing to stop it. I don’t know that much about chimeras. Your father rightly kept me from looking into that.” Roy rubbed his eyes. “I still feel guilty about dumping Edward and Alphonse into Tucker’s mansion to do my dirty work for me. I had my suspicious about the man but even though, I didn’t think it was as bad as it was. Hughes isn’t going to be able to handle a chimera.”

“A bullet stops them as same as any living thing,” she countered wisely. “They’re not like homunculi, right?”

He shook his head, feeling his skin begin to goose pimple in the cool room. “No, they can be shot. Certainly all the ones Edward and Alphonse knew were killed. But Meinhard isn’t Maes. He didn’t grow up with the idea of alchemy being real.”

“Roy, I hate to break it to you, Maes didn’t know that much about it either. Most people don’t. It’s a relatively rare vocation.” Riza kissed him then got up. She got him a sweater out of the closet and tossed it to him. 

He felt a little sorry for her. Sweaters weren’t created equal. Men didn’t look particularly sexy in them, more scholarly than anything. A woman in a sweater, with it clinging to her curves, there was no doubt he had the better end of the deal in sweater weather. He groaned inwardly. How could he even think about such things at a time like this. _Because you need to_ , he told himself. _Before you lose it_

_“You need to get your pants off.”_

_He smiled. “If you insist.”_

_She gave him a look. “You’re on my bedspread in bloody wool. I meant get them off before I shoot you.”_

_His smile flipped upside down. “Oh, right. Sorry.” He got up and finished changing his clothes. He tossed the uniform into the bag to go to the dry cleaners. He considered burning the boots. At least the blood on them should have been long dried but he didn’t envy the motor pool that had to get it out of Havoc’s government car._

_“Guess I shouldn’t put Li Ying off any more,” he said. “You don’t have to listen to this, Riza. Especially if you aren’t feeling well.”_

_“I’m fine, Roy. I want to hear the details.”_

_He translated that to mean she wanted to be there for him and who was he to argue with that. He nodded, taking her hand in his as they headed back downstairs in their slippers. He gave another moment’s thought of just staying in bed but knew his sister would roust him out just to be sure that he ate._

_Li-Ying was waiting in the living room when they got back down there and he could hear his niece puttering around in the kitchen. Roy sat next to his sister on the couch and Riza curled up next to him. “Now tell me what’s happening.”_

_“Chimera attack,” Roy said, knowing his alchemist sister would draw the correct conclusions._

_Li-Ying covered her mouth. “Oh no. Are you sure?”_

_“There was an orphan train attacked today,” Roy said. “I think, well Edward Elric thought and I agree that it’s the work of a chimera.”_

_Li-Ying paled, her hands dropping into her lap. “Orphan…did any of the kids get hurt?’_

_“Several were killed and partially eaten,” Roy pulled no punches. “Now you see why we didn’t want this getting out to anyone?”_

_“My god, I can’t even….” She shook her head. “Now I see why you have no appetite. I won’t say a word, and if Miao-Yin wasn’t eavesdropping we can leave it at government secret at least until we see what leaks to the paper. That’s horrible. Who would send a chimera to do such a thing.”_

_“We don’t know,” Roy replied._

_“We don’t even know if it was just one,” Riza put in. “It could have been more. We’re not sure what kind of chimera are even still around. Roy, if Li-Ying isn’t busy, we could probably get her cleared to help on the research. She is an alchemist, after all.” She looked over at her sister-in-law. “If that’s all right with you.”_

_“Of course. Anything I can do to help.” Li-Ying wet her lips. “Roy, did you know chimera were out there before this? I also thought they were more of a cautionary tale. It was one of the easier to understand taboos. Merging life like this is something we should never even contemplate.”_

_Roy looked away. “I’m not arguing that.”_

_“You’re also not answering me.”_

_“We knew,” Riza answered for him._

_Li-Ying pursed her lips. “I see. More military secrets?”_

_“I thought you might rest easier not knowing about them,” Roy replied. That was partly true, but it was more true that he had never thought to tell his sisters. They were outside of his harsh life and he meant to keep it that way as best he could. “Sorry if I was wrong.”_

_Li-Ying sighed. “I know you Roy. You think you need to shield us all. It's not needed. I'm fine.” She scowled. “Maybe not fine but I can handle this and I'll help you any way I can.”_

_“I appreciate that Li-Ying. I do.”_

_She slapped his thigh. “Now take a few deep breaths and calm yourself as much as you can. I know you and Riza aren’t hungry after that but you need to eat. So at least tackle a little soup. It'll help.”_

_Roy doubted that but he didn't argue. Miao-Yin already had the table set and he poured soup into bowls for them. He was sure that his relatives had spared no peppers in the making of the soup. It was hot enough to melt the spoon, just like he liked it. The thick noodles that followed were even hotter. To his surprise, he ate well but that didn't stop him from retiring early. Riza came with him._

_She put her arms around him in bed, kissing his neck. “I know this is hard for you, Roy. You know you don’t have to help Maes and Edward.”_

_“And you know I do,” he replied, hating the truth of it._

_“They didn’t do the things you were forced to in the war, Roy. I know you’re not likely to tell them how much harder those poor children are going to hit you.”_

_Roy snuggled against her. “I might. Edward’s not a child anymore and Maes would have known.” He sighed. “I need to do this, Riza, every bit as much as I need to help on the arson case or work with Dev and all the other Ishbalans. It’s my perdition.”_

_She kissed him again. “You take on too much.”_

_“You’ve known that for years.” Roy brushed her hair. “How are you feeling tonight?”_

_Riza squeezed him then made a startled sound as Hayate jumped up on the bed with them. She pointed to his bed in the corner and Hayate gave them a hangdog look._

_“Let him stay. It’s cold,” Roy said._

_Riza snorted. “That fire you have in the fireplace makes this room toasty and you know it. You spoil him.”_

_Roy smiled. “I’m good at it.”_

_“If I am pregnant, I fear for what sort of spoiled brat you’ll turn our child into.”_

_Roy laughed. “She’ll be glorious…or he’ll out-brat Edward and me combined.”_

_“If that last one comes true, I’m running away and leaving him with you.” Riza tapped his nose before snuggling down with him. Hayate curled up in the crook of her legs._

_Roy shut off the light but the fireplace added a glow to the room. Still, it was a cozy and happy place to be. He deserved it after the last few days and the worst ones to come._

_XXX_

_“She probably thinks I’m crazy,” Ed said, staring at the front door through which Winry had disappeared._

_“Because you spent all evening stomping around here swearing or because you yelled at her when she asked what was wrong?” Al took a sip of his coffee, gearing up for a night of research._

_Ed’s glare could have rewarmed that mug for him. “You know I can’t tell her what happened.”_

_“I do know. I also know you could have just explained it was a military secret.”_

_Ed snorted, flopping down on the couch in their small living room. “As if Winry would have left it at that.”_

_Al shrugged. “I also know that it’s a good thing she got called into the hospital to help with that major accident on the north side.”_

_“It’s not fit for man or beast out there. I should have gone with her.”_

_“Ed, if you had tried to get into the cab with her, only one of you would come out alive,” Al laughed._

_Ed scowled again. He knew his brother was right. He had handled it badly. He was simply so out of practice. On Earth, he hadn’t really dated, not wanting to explain his prostheses. Since returning to his homeland, things had gone by in such a whirlwind. It wasn’t an easy path getting back together with Winry. There had been a few years of history to get past. It seemed somehow still amazing that she put up with him and wanted to be with him, especially on days like tonight._

_“I’ll apologize tomorrow,” he said._

_“Oh, I would, if I were you.” Al paged through his book, not looking at his brother._

_“I’ll tell her the latest case upset me. It’s hardly a lie.” Ed thought about it for a moment. “After I see what’s in the paper about it, if anything is.”_

_“If nothing is, then you’ll have to be careful of what you say. Ask Mustang and Hughes for advice. Or at least Mr. Hughes. Riza knows but Mrs. Hughes wouldn’t. He probably knows how to handle this without upsetting the people in his life.”_

_“Yeah.” Ed wrinkled his nose. He didn’t want to talk about his failure any more. “Al, any thoughts about the chimera?”_

_Al shook his head. “You studied the scene far longer than I. About all I can say is we can rule out snake and bull types. We’re probably looking for something dog or cat like.”_

_“Or something more fucked up,” Ed muttered._

_Al shrugged. “That too. I wonder what Dr. Knox will find. Can they tell the difference between animal and human saliva?”_

_“I have no idea. And if they can, what would a chimera have?” Ed pulled a long face. “I’ll have to ask the doctor that question, I guess.” He rubbed his face. “How do we sleep tonight seeing something like that? I mean, we’ve seen a lot of horrible things but that was one of the worst.”_

_“I know.” Al hefted his coffee cup. “I wasn’t planning on sleeping tonight.”_

_Ed knew that wasn’t much of a solution. He was sure Al knew it too, but he’d take it for now._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

 

“Explain this to me again,” Uzziel growled.

Roy sighed, slugging back coffee. He knew that when he got the priests to promise to keep this conversation a secret, that it would still be a difficult one. Olivia had agreed, calling him in the morning to tell him to take Riza with him. He wondered if she thought Aris or Kennan might just shoot him for being an alchemist even though he had nothing at all to do with this. Even old Uzziel looked fit to knife him. Dev sat next to Roy’s desk, his face an unreadable mask and that concerned Roy more than anything. The young man was usually very easy to read. 

“Making a chimera is taboo so I only know the theory behind it.” Roy knew a bit more than that but there was no sense in telling them that. It would only make things worse. “In this case, someone took a human being, probably wounded soldiers and combined them with another animal with an eye to making a type of super soldier.”

“I can’t even believe this is possible,” Kennan stalked over to the window, looking out. “It’s obscene.”

“I agree. IT’s taboo for a reason,” Roy replied.

“Apparently taboos don’t mean much to alchemists,” Dev grumbled and Roy glared.

“Just because two drops of dirty water fall into a lake, doesn’t mean the entire lake is poisoned, Dev. The people doing this would have been sick bastards whether or not they were alchemists,” Roy snapped back. “It’s worse because they do have that knowledge at their disposal.”

“And you want me to venture into this mess,” Dev said.

“No, I just need another pair of eyes reading through things. We’re all at loose ends here until the weather improves. We could spare you. You have more patience for research than Meara,” Roy replied.

Uzziel snorted. “Dev having more patience than anyone, never thought I’d hear someone claim that.”

Dev’s ruby eyes narrowed and Roy heard the whine of the young man’s automail servers. He was only slightly less explosive than Edward. He, Falman and Breda had debated why once, while royally drunk. Roy postulated that since Ed was so much smaller than Dev all the volatile crap was compacted and much more likely to go off with even minor jostling. “I’m going to ignore that. And I’ll help you, Mustang but only because I wouldn’t be able to sleep nights knowing I could help stop that abomination from running around.”

“It might be more than one and I do feel sorry for it in a way.” Roy held up a hand. “What it has done is beyond revolting, don’t get me wrong. But from what little I know of the military chimera, most did not volunteer for the process. Whatever the chimera is now, it was once someone’s child too.”

“You’re not going to try and capture it, are you?” Aris asked. The healer-priest had been quietly absorbing the discussion without Uzziel and Kennan’s more violent reaction to the topic.

 

Roy sighed, scrubbing his hand over his mouth. “I wish I knew. It killed nearly a dozen kids that we know of. I don’t know where it came from. Did it get loose from some still-unknown lab here in the city? Did it somehow come from the country on that train? Does it look human right now? I have no idea. From what I do know is that some of the chimeras can alter their forms at will from their human to their animal side. I have to assume that this chimera is mad or simply evil. I’m not sure it can be saved and I do know it cannot be returned to its component parts. What little there is in the literature seemed very clear about that. I know Scar believed that. He killed one, a little girl.”

Uzziel scowled. “The scarred Ishbalan priest? Someone turned a little girl into a chimera?”

“Yes, to both. It was her father. He had gone mad,” Roy said, figuring that had to be at least partly true of Shou Tucker. If it wasn’t, he didn’t want to know about it. “But I doubt the chimera can be saved. I'm more concerned with the idea that the chimera might be acting under the direction of someone else. Not all of Fuhrer Bradley's supporters are gone, and not all of his scientists, alchemists or otherwise, were coerced into the things they did. Some did it just to see if they could.”

“But why release it now if that's the case?” Kennan asked.

“Good question. Things are going well. Maybe the person in control be it a former scientist or the chimera himself isn't particularly happy about that. Starting a wave of terror might prove that things were better under Bradley,” Roy postulated.

Kennan nodded. “That makes a sick sort of sense. I don't like any of this but I can see in your face you don't either. You already know what we mostly think of alchemists. That you are almost seeing this through our eyes says a lot.”

“We have taboos in alchemy for a reason. Some for lesser reason and a more likely to be bent, like making gold from other base metals but things like this, most alchemists wouldn't even consider it. And I wouldn't have asked Dev to page through dry books of chemistry, biology and alchemy if it wasn't absolutely important to stop this before more deaths happen.”

“I'm sure there will be more,” Uzziel said and Roy wished he could disagree. “Something that could tear its way through a car full of children isn't going to just stop.”

“I agree,” Roy said, thinking he hoped the chimera was at least resting for a while. He hadn't told the Ishbalans the chimera had eaten some of the children. 

“I have to go to the hospital and drop off some reports to my mother but Aris has other business with her and the nursing students. Do you want me to leave it all to him before I meet up with Ed and Al?”

“Will it take long do you think to see your mom? If not, go see her, maybe grab something from the deli to go so you can have lunch and work at the same time.”

Dev's brow beetled. “You're trying to turn me into you, but fine.”

“I'll be there later. I need to deal with a few more things but Riza and I will be there in the afternoon,” Roy said.

“I'm sure my daughter can handle some of those things for you,” Kennan waved a hand toward the wall. Beyond it Meara was working on the endless paperwork that went with being an ambassador. Havoc was stuck with the equally endless paperwork a general faced. “I'd rather see you stopping this than dealing with contractors not delivering on their promises.”

“And I can come back from the hospital and pick up some of your work, too,” Aris said. “And no doubt your other men can handle the military work for you.”

“Thank you,” Roy said.

“Thank us by stopping this,” Uzziel said.

“That is my plan.”

XXX

 

Dev leaned on his cane while he waited for his mother to come back from whatever she was doing in the emergency room. Aris had gone down to the cafeteria to get some coffee for himself and Hala who would be on break by the time she came back. His leg ached like a rotten tooth. He swore he could feel where that bullet had ripped through it. As if all the burn scars weren’t enough. He had wanted to be off the cane by now but with as much ice and snow there was out there, he didn’t trust his balance. Maybe he should sit himself down. At least the crap he had to help Mustang with would be sedentary. He wondered if he should have brought a lap blanket since it was in a damn warehouse. Maybe he could bother his mother to let him borrow one of the thin, crappy ones from the hospital. It would be better than nothing.

“Dev.”

He slowly swiveled in the direction of her voice. He smiled seeing Winry in her white lab coat. She looked tired, not that he’d say that to her. He might not know much about women but that he did know. “Hello, Winry.”

“What are you doing here? You’re not looking for me, are you?”

He could hear the trepidation in her voice. She must be exhausted to not want to work on his arm. She was forever tinkering with it. “No, I didn’t even know you had been called in. I had some files to give Mom, and then I have to go help Ed and Al with some research for Mustang.”

Her lips pinched. “So, you know what got Ed so angry last night.”

Dev thought about the secrecy of all of this. He knew Mustang didn’t want him saying a word. From the look on Winry’s fast, Ed had said nothing. It probably meant they had fought last night and Ed would be like a boil on the ass when he finally caught up with the brothers. Perfect. There had been only minimal details in the paper, just that an orphan train had met with problems, nothing about dead kids, and it probably had to stay that way. “Ed? He’s always angry. All I know is Mustang said to go help them. I said no. Uzziel said I had to so I’m going to go do that once I’m done here.”

Her brow furrowed further. “I’m not sure I believe that but if you won’t say anything either, I’ll assume it has to do with the military and you can’t say anything. Tell Ed I said that.”

It was his turn to frown. He didn’t like carrying messages to Edward. Even though Dev had left Winry before the brothers had even returned, it still hadn’t entirely been his own choice. “Yeah, sure,” he said, then heard his name called again. He looked over his shoulder to see his mother waving at him before she went into the nurses’ lounge. “I should go. Take care of yourself, Winry. Don’t let his moods wear you down.”

Winry snorted. “I’ve dealt with Ed’s moods most of my life. I can handle him.” 

Dev smiled, but figured it looked more sad than anything. “I know this probably makes me a dick for saying it, but sometimes I miss the days when we were together, Winry.” When she didn’t say anything, her eyes widening, Dev shrugged. “I better go now. Don’t work too hard.” He limped off toward the nursing lounge before she could respond. He wasn’t sure he could handle it if she had one.

XXX

“Is this what you alchemists do all the time?” Dev groaned, reaching for his coffee.

Ed was contemplating just wrapping that blanket around Dev’s head until he blacked out. He’d been in a grumbly mood since he had limped into the room to help an hour ago. Well, to be fair, he wasn’t any more grumbly than Dev usually was but Ed wasn’t in the mood to hear it. Especially after Dev told him what Winry had said. He knew he was being ridiculous but some days it really bothered him that Dev used to be Winry’s boyfriend and this was one of those days. “Research is a part of it. Are you finding anything?”

“That I can’t get comfortable in this chair,” Dev replied, pushing a file folder aside and picking up another. “But so far, nothing. You?” 

“Not really,” Ed hated to have to confess that. He'd been hoping they'd find something quickly and put an end to this before he had to submit himself and Al to more half eaten victims. He knew Dev had prayed, since the priest had done so the moment he sat down to the pile of paperwork they had allotted to him. Ed didn't know how Dev did it. To him, this was just more proof there was no god.

“I wish I knew exactly what I'm looking for,” Dev said.

“We gave you a list of key words,” Roy replied, not lifting his head from the lab journal. Next to him, Riza put a hand on his wrist as if she could quiet him if Mustang decided to be his usual asshole self.

“I know, but it's not instinctive for me to look for this kind of stuff. I guess maybe it's that I wish it was just all a nursery bogie that I was chasing down and not reality.”

“We all wish that.” Al got up, stretching his legs.

Ed leaned closer to Dev and whispered, even though he knew he had far bigger things to worry about. “Did Winry look pissed?”

“She looked exhausted, to the point that I was even afraid to look like I noticed.”

“She got called out in an emergency last night and never came home, at least not my place.” Ed shrugged. She could have gone to Mustang's where she was technically staying. “But was she pissed?'

“At you? Probably. She told me she was used to your foul moods.”

“Oh great.”

“If it helps, she's probably pissed at me, too.”

“It doesn't.” He narrowed his eyes at the priest. “What did you do?”

“Remind her of you, if I had to guess.” Dev didn't quite look at Ed when he said that.

Ed snorted and went back to the dusty lab book he was scanning.

“Hey, Shortmetal.”

Ed glared over at Mustang. “I'm the same height as you now.”

 

“How does that make you anything but short?” Dev smirked at him.

Ed rotated the full force of his glare to his oft-time ally. “Shut up, giant.” Dev laughed at him as he turned back to Roy. “What do you want, Sparky?”

Roy's eyes were unusually somber. “Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn't I be?” Ed scowled. What had Mustang read in his face? Was he going to reassign him away from Investigations? It was emotionally difficult work, but Ed found he liked it, more than he thought he would, enough that he had flirted with the idea of considering staying a dog if he could remain leashed to Investigations. It was fun working with Armstrong and Hughes. He'd be miserable if he got switched into Mustang's ambassador work or having to function as one of Mustang's men like Breda and Havoc.

“You saw a horrific scene.”

“Yeah, so? I don't see you asking Al if he's okay.”

“He didn't spend the time you did at the scene.” Roy closed the journal he was reading.

“And he asked me when you went to the lavatory,” Al replied.

“I'm fine,” Ed grumbled.

“It's all right if you're not, Edward,” Mustang replied quietly. Riza glanced over at her husband, a question in her eyes.

“Sounds like you're the one who's not all right,” Ed shot back and instantly regretted it when he saw Mustang's face fall.

“I'm not. I had hoped I'd seen the last murdered child when the war ended,” Mustang picked up another file and gave it undue attention.

Dev looked like he wanted to say something to that but thought better of it.

“Yeah,” Ed mumbled. He had almost forgotten Roy was the one to burn Dev when the priest had been a child. It hadn't really occurred to him that Mustang might have killed more children. He didn't want to think about that.”

“Ed, have you heard from Mr. Hughes,” Al changed the subject. “About what sort of animal it might have been that was used to make a chimera?”

“Not yet. I gave him this extension.” Ed nodded to the old phone that he had to check on because it looked like it hadn't received a call in years. 

“Is there any chance this was just a wild animal and you're wrong about the chimera?” Dev asked.

“Possibly,” Ed replied. “But someone still had to put the animal on the train with those kids.”

“Because being orphaned wasn't already traumatic enough,” Mustang muttered.

“Yeah,” Al whispered.

Technically he and Al hadn't been orphaned until they were much older but their dick of a father had been gone most of their lives so it was almost the same thing. Winry and Mustang had been orphaned around the same age. The only thing separating them from the kids on the orphan trains were that they had family willing and able to take care of them. Ed didn't like to imagine what life was like for those kids on the orphan train, being trucked out to the country to be given to farm families more so for labor than to be a child welcomed into a loving family. He knew two families in Resembool than used to take in kids from orphan trains. The Shalvises had taken in three but they were good to those kids. The Canes seemed to be well named because Farmer Cane would come after you with a big stick for the littlest reasons. Ed knew he took on those orphan train kids a lot. Did no one ever ask why his always ran off? Now that he was older, seeing the things he had seen Ed wondered if the kids had in fact run off.

“Regardless, right now, we need to concentrate on the idea it might be a chimera while Hughes is dealing with the more mundane options,” Mustang said.

No one argued. Ed went back to his lab journal, trying his best to speed read it. No one else was going to die if he could help it.

 

XXX

Winry slumped in a chair at the nurses' station, trying to get up enough energy to go home. She hadn't even decided what home she wanted to go to. Technically she boarded with Roy and Riza, but she and Al had traded places, at least some of the times. She'd called the Elric's cottage but no one was there. Of course it was the middle of the day and she shouldn't have expected them to be. It might be best to go there since it would be deserted, quiet and she could get some uninterrupted sleep.

“You look exhausted,” Hala said, coming over to the chart rack next to Winry and selected three charts.

“I was here all night and just finished my actual shift,” Winry said to Dev's mother. “Health care sometimes sucks.”

Hala laughed. “Ssh, don't let my nursing students hear you.”

“I'm used to pulling all-nighters to make automail. I love that, but sitting in on the surgeries to make sure the graft sites are right and dealing with the patients themselves, that's exhausting. I don't know how you do this every day.”

Hala flipped one chart open and began making notes. “I'm just glad to be able to do it again. After years of being on the run and living in the camps, it feels great to be in a hospital again.” She frowned. “Even though it feels like I should be doing more for my own people.”

“You're doing so much for them with the school and helping to set up hospitals,” Winry replied, wishing she hadn't forgotten Hala had spent years nursing her people with almost no supplies of any kind.

“That's true, I suppose.” The older woman glanced over at Winry. “Looks like something else is bothering you.”

Winry thought about that for a moment. She was finding it was nice to have older women like Riza and Gracia to talk to. She could tell them things she was uncomfortable telling her grandmother. She wasn't that comfortable with Hala Jasso yet, knowing full well the woman originally had a problem with her son dating her. Hala had revised that opinion but a little too late. Winry knew she shouldn't blame the woman. What reason did she have to trust a non-Ishbalan Amestrian? Then again what did she have to lose in talking to the woman? “Men are frustrating.”

Hala nodded. “Always. Is it Edward or my son this time?”

“Both,” Winry said without hesitation. “For entirely different reasons, well, that's not entirely true. There is one reason in common. They won't tell me what this new assignment is. I know it's probably because they can't but it's still annoying. At least Dev wasn't nearly as frustrating about it as Ed.”

“He wouldn't tell me either, if that's any comfort. The thing you need to remember is that even though they care about you, they're still going to be an idiot about oh so many things. You've seen the looks Mustang's wife gives him, and he deserves every one,” Hala said, jotting something else down in the chart.

Winry snorted. “I'm not arguing that. You realize you included your son in that.”

“Of course I did and his father. He and his father were so much alike in some ways. I loved him, but my husband made me want to throttle him on a daily basis.”

Winry tried not to laugh at Hala’s expression. “Well now I know where he gets it from.”

“He’s grown up like his father, but when he was young, I’m not sure who Dev was like.” Hala tapped a pencil against her lips. “He was an arrogant little brat.”

Just another way he was like Ed, Winry thought but held her tongue.

“He lost that after he met up with Mustang.” Hala couldn’t hide the residual bitterness she felt toward the man.

Winry couldn’t blame her. She had some of it too even though she had, as had Dev, forgiven him. Still, some part of her would always remember that he had been ordered to kill her parents. “Dev told me he heard someone say what happened to him was a punishment for being arrogant. That God wanted to put him in his place. I told him that was nonsense.”

Hala’s tanned skin faded. “I didn’t realize he knew about that.”

“Sorry.” Winry wet her lips. “It hurt him deeply. I could see that in his eyes.”

“He did a foolish thing that put him in the path of the military. The only thing God did was spare his life,” Hala stabbed her pen into the paper then cursed, realizing it had torn a small hole. 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up at work, and I agree. Dev did not bringing this on himself.” Winry got up and stretched. “I really should get home.”

“Take care. It’s nasty out there.”

Hala seemed grateful to escape back into her charting. Winry headed out to hail a cab, just as thankful to leave the awkward conversation behind. Not that there probably wouldn’t be equally awkward ones when Ed got home.

XXX

“I have some good news,” Hughes said, striding into the warehouse. 

Roy startled, nearly dropping the lab book he was reading. That’s when he realized that Dev seemed half-asleep over his and Riza looked bored with hers. Ed and Al barely looked up from their research to acknowledge Hughes’s entrance.

“I thought you were going to call.” Roy ran a hand through his hair, feeling it stick up and stay there after the face. “What good news?”

“I ended up down this way, so it was just easier to stop over and Armstrong and I found the arsonist. I know it doesn’t help with this.” Hughes waved his hands about to indicate the warehouse. “But at least it’s one killer we no longer have to worry about.”

“You found him? Who was it?” Ed twisted on his chair to see Maes head on. “Why did he do it?”

 

“It was her ex-husband. The kids in question were his and one was her new husband’s from his first marriage,” Hughes said, something indecipherable passing over his face and Roy wondered if it had to do with raising another man’s daughter himself. Of course, Elica’s father wouldn’t be back to burn his former family alive. “If he couldn’t have her, no one could.”

“He burned his own children?” Dev’s voice tremble with rage. “That’s sick! That’s worse than him.” He jammed a metal finger at Roy. 

Roy favored him with a flat stare. He wanted to argue but how could he? He had burned children, including Dev. 

“That's not fair,” Al said. Riza looked like she had wanted to protest too but unlike Al, she knew all of Roy's terrible history.

“Depends on point of view,” Dev replied truculent. 

“Uh, yes, well, once we talked to the neighbors and learned her husband had been there several times causing problems. Once we knew that, we rounded him up and he seemed all too ready to tell us everything,” Hughes said, eyeing Dev.

“Why? I mean if he kept his mouth shut.” Ed said.

 

“Some people can't handle their misdeeds, Edward. It weighs on you,” Roy said. Oh how they did. He knew that all too well. 

“You would know,” Dev grumbled, apparently giving himself over to his complete asshole mode of operation.

“We all would,” Ed said with surprising bitterness. Even Dev looked momentarily taken aback. 

 

“Anyhow, it is more or less a closed case,” Hughes said, trying to steer the conversation back on topic. “I have some of the more junior investigators tying up all the loose ends on that one. If he recants the confession, we’ll have more work to do. We might need your testimony, Roy, if it comes to that.”

Roy nodded. “Of course.”

“So, anything I can do here?” Hughes asked.

“We were just about to call it for the night and go get dinner,” Roy replied.

“I’d volunteer you all to come to my place if I didn’t think Gracia would kill me. I’d like to be caught up on whatever you do have,” Hughes said.

“We don’t have a shitting thing,” Ed said, getting up, stretching. “And I can’t even tell Winry what I’m doing. She thinks I’m an asshole.”

“That’s probably not why,” Roy said, also getting up. Riza did as well, looking a lot more limber than he felt. His automail leg felt cold. Ed had to be miserable. 

“Why can’t I tell her?”

“Because you don’t have permission,” Roy reminded him.

“Roy,” Riza gave him a look.

“You told him.” Ed jerked a thumb at Dev. “He doesn’t have any more special clearances than Winry.”

“I think I probably do,” Dev argued.

“Edward, I’m not telling you you’re forbidden to tell Winry. What I am saying is if Armstrong finds out, it’s your ass not mine,” Roy said.

“Fine, I’m telling her.”

“Should you have told us?” Hughes’s eyes twinkled.

“You’ll all feign ignorance. Mustang’s an expert. Look at him? He looks perfectly dumb,” Ed said and Roy reined in an urge to gut punch him.

Dev laughed, getting up. His bad leg went out and he nearly fell. Riza caught his arm, hauling him back up. “Damn.” He jerked out of her grip, rubbing his arm. “Thanks, Riza. I’ve been sitting too long.”

“You haven’t been doing your exercises either. Don’t make me sic my sister on you. She’ll show no mercy,” Roy said.

“Right now, I wouldn’t protest,” Dev said then the warehouse phone rang.

“Who the hell could that be? Hughes is here,” Ed said staring at it.

“Maybe you should be the one to answer, Roy,” Al said.

Roy nodded and was somehow not as surprised as he should be hearing Olivia on the other end. “Yes, ma’am. What’s wrong?”

As he listened to what his Fuhrer was saying, Roy shut his eyes. “Well, fuck.”


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

“What is it?” Ed demanded.

“There's been an attack at a school. Probably the same attacker as the train.”

“At this time of night, there's shouldn't have been any causalities other than a janitor,” Riza said.

“Oh god,” Hughes went pale. “Roy, it wasn't Central Oak Elementary was it? There was a talent show tonight.”

“It was,” Roy stared at Hughes. “She's not...”

“Gracia is there with Elicia,” Hughes cried, already heading toward the door.

“I'm coming with you,” Roy said, following. He didn't even have to look to know Riza was on his heels. She always was and always would be. 

“We all are,” Ed said.

“Me too,” Dev said, limping along behind them.

“You can stay here and finish or take a cab home,” Roy countered.

“I'm a healer. There'll be wounded. I can help,” Dev insisted.

“Fine. You ride with me and Riza, “ Roy said though he was sure Dev didn't do well with blood by his own admission but he wasn't turning down help. “Edward, Alphonse go with Hughes.”

“This is going to be so bad,” Al said. 

“More than you know,” Roy said, grabbing Dev's arm. He pulled Dev along faster, steadying him so he didn't fall. “You get in the back.” He all but shoved Dev in.

Dev rubbed his leg, eyeing Roy evilly. “That hurt. And can you even drive? I'm not comfortable with you at night on icy roads and no depth perception.”

Roy slammed the door shut, noticing Hughes was already peeling out. He got in the passenger’s seat as Riza slipped behind the wheel. “Riza's driving. That's not necessarily a good thing.”

“Roy!” She snarled, screaming away from the curb.

“Hold on and pray, priest boy. We're going to need it,” Roy said, clutching the arm rest. Why didn't autos have a safety strap? He would invent one if Riza didn't kill them all first.

Riza slewed the car around a bend and Dev yelped in the back seat then started praying loudly 

“Told you,” Roy said and Riza spared a second to give him a look that said he was sleeping on the couch when they got home. 

At least two transport trucks full of enlisted men had the school surrounded when they got there. Roy counted six ambulances at a quick glance as he bailed out of the car. He didn't look back at Dev who was making pitiful noises that sounded like vomit was about to follow. Riza was already three steps ahead of Roy before she realized it and slowed down.

Hughes had left his vehicle sideways in the lot and there was no sign of him or the Elrics. Of course picking anyone out of the crowd of parents and kids on the lawn was going to be difficult. Roy strolled up to the nearest soldier and asked, “Where did it happen and is he still inside?”

“We don't know, sir. But it all happened in the auditorium. Major Kincaid stationed me here, but if you need help finding-”

“No, I know where it is, thank you.” Roy headed inside, “Should have guessed that,” he said to Riza who had no reply. What was needed? The talent show would be in the auditorium. The smell of blood and something worse greeted them before they were anywhere near the doors to the auditorium. 

It was like stepping back into the Ishvalan Extermination there were so many wounded and dead lying on the floor. Someone keened loudly as the medical personal worked on them. Roy spotted Alphonse helping the medics rather than his brother. Roy drew in a deep breath before taking another step. He was stronger than his memories and he needed to assure himself of that. Riza touched his shoulder briefly to help steady him. 

He saw Hughes kneeling next to a man who had been nearly torn in half. It almost surprised him. He had expected his friend to be with his wife. Roy went over to him, staring down at the man. Claw marks stood out ragged and red over the dead man's torso. Whatever had made them had a huge hand. 

“Hughes, she's not in here is she?” he asked, not wanting an answer, definitely not wanting to look for himself.

Hughes gave a short shake of his head. “They're outside and they're safe. Major Kincaid's men have them surrounded. No one is allowed to leave until we get someone to question them. Major Armstrong and his men are handling the interviews while I deal with this.” He looked over his shoulder at Roy. “If I was out there, I don't think I could do my job. I couldn't look into their terrified eyes and keep my wits.”

“Understood. What do you want me and Riza to do?”

“You any good at drawing?”

“I'm an alchemist. Most of us are. I'm not Armstrong good. Why?”

Hughes got up and took a note pad and pencil out of his jacket and pointed to the far wall. “Everything is photographed already but it helps to write down everything you see around the body. Describe and draw how it's lying and the wounds. Just in case the photographs don't come out. There's so many dead, it will help us out. Riza, you could probably do the same. See Griffin over there for a tablet.” He pointed to a redheaded young man in the far corner.

Riza went to get her notebook and Roy went to the spot Hughes indicated. He stopped at a fallen woman who died in almost a fetal position, as if she had been hunched around her child. He didn't doubt she had been. He wondered briefly if the child had survived. Roy shoved his emotions into a box and started his grisly task.

He paused to see if he could spot Edward. This was a gruesome job he had assigned the young man to. Edward glanced up from the child he was examining as if he had felt Roy's eyes. They locked gazes for a moment then Edward went back to work. Roy didn't have to worry about him so he turned back to his own horrible task.

Roy thought he saw something on the woman's neck so he squatted down to take better look. Near the bite mark that most likely killed her, was a thick streak of saliva. He ran through the possibilities for chimeras that slobbered. Certainly humans could so it might be an exercise in futility. Still, he had troubles seeing a snake or wild cat chimera drooling quite so much. Dog, maybe.

“General?”

Roy glanced up at a hesitant-looking sergeant. “Yes, sergeant?”

“Sergeant Wilton, sir. I'm to collect evidence and get her into a body bag for transport.”

“Pay close attention here, Wilton.” Roy pointed to the saliva. “You'll want to get a sample of that.”

“I will, sir. Thank you.”

“All right then. I'm done with my notes and drawings. I'll leave you to it. Do you need help?”

“Help's coming, sir. I have this.”

Roy nodded and left Wilton to his job while he went to document another case. It took more than an hour before he was ready to head outside and check Gracia for himself. On his way, he spotted Dev sitting on an auditorium chair, his white robes liberally splashed with blood. His dark face was drawn and pinched. “Dev,” Roy called out. “Do you need help?”

He shook his head. “I just had to sit. I was on my knees too long.” He looked at Roy. “Are you going outside?”

“To check on Gracia and Elicia and to find out what people saw. That will probably help me, Edward and Alphonse to determine what did this.”

“Good point,” Ed said from where he was jotting something in a notebook just a few feet away. “I'm done here, too. I think Al is already outside. I know Riza went out. She's probably with Mrs. Hughes.” 

“Are you about finished up there, Edward?” Roy asked.

He nodded. “I'll join you outside in a minute.”

“Fine. You don't have to come outside, Dev. You can sit if you need to,” Roy said.

“I might be able to help.”

Roy didn't point out that Dev was barely mobile himself. He also didn't wait up for the young man. He knew Armstrong would know what questions to ask of the people but truth be told he should have exchanged jobs with the big man. Alex Louis was the better artist and Roy was probably less intimidating to talk to for traumatized civilians.

It felt good to get outside, in spite of how cold it was. The evening wind blew the stench of blood and death from Roy's nostrils. It took a moment to realize there was no one on the grounds any more other than a few soldiers.

“Soldier,” he called to one of them. “Where is everyone?”

The young woman pointed to the building across the campus, the high school. That made sense. It was too cold to keep kids standing around outside waiting to be interrogated. After thanking her, he set off. He heard Dev behind him, cursing and was half surprised to hear the tap of the priest's cane. He would have thought Dev would go back inside. Damn, he was stubborn. 

As good as it had felt to get outside of the killing grounds, it felt even better to get inside the warm building. He didn't have to ask for directions. He could hear the voices and followed them through halls that smelled vaguely of chalk to another auditorium. It took him less time than he expected to find Riza. She was with Gracia and Elicia down near the stage. He swallowed hard, as he closed the distance between them and saw Gracia's haggard look. She threw herself into his arm as Elicia clung to his leg. Roy held her gingerly, reminding himself she was pregnant. Would he be as worried about accidentally hurting Riza if she did turn out to be pregnant?

“Oh, Roy. It was horrible,” Gracia rasped.

“I can't imagine. Have they spoken to you already, Gracia?”

She nodded, resting her hand on Elicia's head. “I didn't want to leave without seeing Maes. Neither did Elicia.”

“He'll probably be here shortly. We were mostly done.”

“Gracia, why don't you sit down and tell Roy what you saw,” Riza suggested. “It would help.”

Gracia nodded and sat on one of the red velvet covered chairs. Elicia sat next to her. That's when Roy noticed she had a flute case on her lap. She must have gotten better – he hoped – than when he had last heard her. “Roy, I can't even tell you what it was. It burst through the door and at first I thought it was a feral dog but it was much too big. It was covered with brown fur.” She shuddered. “The thought crossed my mind that a bear had escaped from the zoo. That's what it looked like.”

“Like the one in my geography book. Like the ones in Briggs,” Elicia added. “I hid. I was on stage and I ran and hid.”

“Good girl. You couldn't have done anything against a bear,” Roy said, spotting Dev entering the room with a lady. Both of them had what looked like cigar girl trays strapped over them but instead of smokes, they seemed to have raided the cafeteria for milk cartons and juice. He wasn't sure how Dev was keeping his balance and apparently one father had the same thought, going to relieve Dev of his burden.

“Roy, it couldn't have really been a bear. It was on two legs,” Gracia said. “I know they can do that but...the legs seemed human. It had on loose blue -grey pants, like the kind they have in the military hospital. You know, like the ones you had when.” Her eyes flicked to his automail leg. “you were injured. Remember them?”

How could he forget them? The memories of lying on that hard, uncomfortable hospital bed, the bandage stump of his leg throbbing and the empty pants leg beyond it. “They use them in the prisons too,” Roy murmured. “That is a big help, Gracia. Thank you.”

“It's what we thought it was,” Riza said and he nodded.

“You know what that was? Roy, what's going on?” Gracia demanded.

“Not here.” He took her hand. “Not now, Gracia. Maes will explain it later.” Roy gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I'm so sorry you and Elicia had to see something this horrible.”

“Flame!”

Hearing Armstrong's booming voice, Roy let Gracia's hand go and turned in the direction of the sound. Alex Louis was coming up in Roy's blind side. His broad face had been etched deeply with concern and rage. “Yes, Strongarm?”

“I've sent for the dogs. They've arrived with their handlers,” he said. “Do you want to help track this abomination?”

“Yes, of course. Gracia, I have to go. Riza will-”

“Be coming with you.” She shot him a hot look. “You'll need me.”

“Always,” he concurred. He couldn't afford to think of Riza as potentially pregnant or the least bit fragile. She would shoot him. “Dev is here, Gracia, if you need anything. And Alphonse if he doesn't insist on coming with us.”

“I'll be fine. Go on. Do what you need to.”

Roy nodded. “Maes should be here. He'd be better off finishing the interviews and leaving the rest to the alchemists.”

“You might want to tell him that.” Riza pointed to the doorway where Maes and Edward were just coming through.

Roy and Armstrong went to meet them with Riza going ahead of them. He could see her in the empty hallway checking her gun and her ammunition stores which weren't that good. She had only been expecting to do research today. Roy pulled over an enlisted man. “See that woman in the hall? Make sure she gets all the bullets she needs.”

“Right away, General,” the young man said even though he seemed perplexed as to why he should be handing out ammunition to a civilian.

“Edward, you should come with Armstrong and I to see if the dogs can track this down. Maes, you won't be much help there. Do you think it would be better to take over the interviews here?” Roy asked, trying to sound less like he was commandeering the man's job.

The tightness of the man's mouth told Roy Maes didn't much appreciate it. “I want to see this to the end but you're right. Armstrong would be better.”

“I'll get Al,” Ed said.

“Edward, in talking with Gracia, I think this is a bear chimera,” Roy said.

“I concur. That seems to be what the others saw. A man-bear,” Armstrong said.

“Perfect,” Ed grumbled, going after his brother. “Something easy.”

Edward was always such a master of understatement and sarcasm. Roy didn't like their chances if the bear chimera managed to get the drop on them. Their chances went up a bit as he realized Riza had gotten a rifle, a far better choice for bear hunting than her pistol. Of course his alchemy alone should be enough. Couple that with Armstrong, Al and Edward, they should be a fairly unstoppable killing team. Roy had many happier thoughts in his day than that one. 

As they headed out into the night, he wondered just how well bears saw in the dark.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Edward wasn't surprised to see a light on in his living room when he and Al returned to the cottage. They both had been too fucking frozen and exhausted to take the time to swing past Mustang's mansion and drop Al off. Ed was shaking so hard from the cold transferred by his automail, Al had to open the door. Winry practically tackled them on the snowy stoop.

“I was getting so worried. I went to the school but you two were already out somewhere. They wouldn't tell me where,” she babbled, slamming the door behind them and locking it.

“The School? Winry, why were you there?” Ed asked.

“Gracia didn't invite you to see Elicia did she,” Al toed off his boots.

“She did, but I was too tired to go. I heard about the attack on the radio and went to see. They wouldn't let me near it,” Winry said, helping Ed with his coat buttons. “You're both frozen. Seriously, Ed, you're practically hypothermic. I have a fire set. Go sit in front of it. I'll get you dry socks, for both of you, and slippers. I have tea water on simmer. I'll make you some and then you're telling me what in the hell is going on.”

Ed nodded, too exhausted to argue with Winry. There was no arguing with Winry no matter how often they indulged in the activity. “What I need more than slippers is a ball warmer,” he said, nearly falling over as he forced his boots off.

“Ed! Honestly.” Al rolled his eyes then added in a whisper. “I could use that too.”

Winry didn't bat an eyelash as she raced upstairs. Ed did make his way to the fireplace, flopping over on the carpet. After stripping off his socks, he jammed his feet up on the hearth, noticing how shriveled and blue his skin was. A coat of ice gleamed off his metal toes. 

“I'm a mess.”

“Me, too. I don't know how the chimera got away from the dogs.” Al sat on the carpet with a bit more decorum than Ed, but that was his brother all over. Al's feet looked little better than his own once Al got the wet wool socks off of them.

“Their noses probably froze the hell over.” Ed started to undo his braid with numb fingers. “It probably went into the sewers.”

“Yeah. God, it was horrible.” Al squeezed his eyes shut against the memory. “Why kids, Ed?”

“Don't know. I heard Hughes say something about what if the guy was a pedophile to start with. You know it could be true. They used criminals like Barry for other experiments.” Ed fell silent as Winry pounded back down the steps. 

She dropped a pair of socks and slippers at their feet before taking a third pair of socks apart. She tossed each of them one sock before turning on her heel to head to the kitchen.

“Winry, what's the third sock for?” Al asked.

“Ball warmer,” she said, sailing out of the room.

“Winry!” Ed groaned then looked over at his brother. “To hell with it, I'm using it.”

“Like it will be the first time you've had a sock over your penis.” Al rolled his eyes again.

Ed flushed.

“What? You think I didn't know what you were up to some nights when I was in the other room, researching because I didn't sleep?” Al made a stroking motion. “I heard the whimpering the time you forgot yourself and got caught on the metal joints.”

Ed felt his face get warmer. “I'm not even talking to you.” He flopped over on his side and tried to arrange the sock over what was left of his fun parts. By the time he got that done and the other socks and slippers on, Ed noticed Al had his feet bundled up and there was no sign of that third sock.

“I have tea.” Winry came in and put the tray on the coffee table. 

Ed reluctantly left the fireplace. He grabbed the afghan off the back of the couch and while he rather share it with Winry, he offered the other side of it to his brother. “Thanks, Winry. You didn't have to wait up.”

“Like I could sleep after hearing the school was under attack. Is Elicia all right? I thought she had to be because you don't look sad enough for her to have been hurt.”

“She's fine, well as fine as she can be having witnessed that,” Al said. 

“Winry, I should have told you last night but it's a military secret. I shouldn't be telling you anything tonight but I trust you. Mustang does too but it has to stay a secret. Well, as secret as it can now that a school full of parents and kids have seen it. I have no idea how they're going to spin this.”

“Escaped bear from a zoo or circus or something,” Al muttered.

“Just tell me, Ed.” Winry handed him a tea cup. “What is going on? The hospital already contacted me to let me know I might be called in to sit in on amputation surgeries if need be. I deserve to know.”

“You’re right.” Ed sipped his tea and made a face. “Winry, what is this? It’s disgusting.”

 

“Herbal tea to help you sleep. Miao-Yin gave it to me. It’s from Xing.”

“She can send it back there. Gross.” Ed shuddered.

“Just drink it and warm up.”

Ed decided this wasn’t the hill he wanted to die on so he drank the awful stuff and resolved to tell Miao-Yin to only deliver the good stuff in the future. “We think it’s a chimera.”

“A chimera.” Winry's brow wrinkled. “What is a chimera?”

“Last night, why I was such a dick was something attacked an orphan train and tore apart and ate several kids.” Ed scowled, taking another sip trying to avoid his tongue entirely and just get the hot liquid straight down his gullet. 

“Oh.” Winry's eyes were wide. She reached out and took Ed's metal hand since his other was busy with the tea cup. “I can't even imagine. Oh, Ed.”

“I couldn't tell you because the military locked it down, but tonight there were witnesses,” Ed said.

“And so many more dead,” Al added, looking at his hands. “I tried to help but I know some of the people I worked on probably didn't make it to the hospital alive.”

“How horrible. But why is it doing this? What is a chimera?”

Together, he and Al explained the dark alchemy of making chimeras. Ed hated seeing the paleness of Winry's face. Her eyes, seeming so huge against the whiteness of her skin, were haunted. Ed hated feeling bad about being an alchemist which is something he rarely did unless thinking about his father or Dante. He was beginning to feel like he understood Mustang a little better. This is how he had to feel when talking to the Ishbalans and having them know all the terrible things he'd done in the war.

“So, you think someone melded a bear to a man and he's out there eating people?” Winry asked when they were done.

“That's the long and short of it,” Ed agreed.

“At least we know now from the victims' description, there is only one. Last time we had to deal with chimeras there were several,” Al said, getting up with his tea cup. “And if you'll excuse me, I'm exhausted. I'm going to wash the cup out and go up to bed. And Winry,”

“Yes?”

“Ignore my brother. The tea is good. Certainly making me sleepy. I'll ask Miao-Yin for more.” Al grinned.

“You were sleepy before. This dishwater had nothing to do with it,” Ed argued.

Al didn't answer, going into the kitchen.

“You've had a couple terrible days, Edward. We should probably go up to bed ourselves,” Winry said.

“Yeah, good idea.” Ed got up and picked up the remaining parts of the tea tray. 

“I have to know. Did the ball warmer worker?” Winry asked, her voice a bit shaky as if she was changing the subject, to anything else regardless of appropriateness, just to get away from the terrible things he and his brother had told her.

“It's one filled sock now,” he replied.

“It can _hear_ you,” Al scolded from the kitchen.

“Go transmute yourself some ear plugs then,” Ed shot back.

“If I transmute anything,” Al came out of the kitchen, “Ear plugs will be the least of it.”

Ed didn't even want to know what his brother was contemplating. Ed was devious but he was impulsive. Al was devious and patient, a far more lethal combination. 

“Al, don't worry about it. I'm so tired I'll probably fall asleep climbing the stairs,” Winry said.

Ed knew how she felt, but after what he'd just seen, he wasn't sure sleep would come all that easily.

XXX

“Warm?” Roy sat on the edge of the tub, a towel wrapped around his waist. He had taken a quick shower to warm up then let Riza draw a bath.

“There's probably room for you,” She said.

Roy eyed the facet and thought whoever decided bath tubs for two had to be using it differently or had one that miraculously filled from overhead. Standing up, he let the towel drop and gave the tub another blast from the hot tap. He clapped and turned the whole works into a smooth shiny shield of metal.

“You better know how to fix that.”

“Trust me,” he said, getting into the tub. He gingerly stretched out, trying to figure out where his legs went while not getting racked in the balls by her feet. “I'm good.”

She wiggled one of his toes. “You always say that.”

“I'm always right.” He grinned.

“Mostly.” Riza let her head rest back against the tiled wall. “I can't believe how horrible tonight was.”

“It was almost Gracia and Elicia. I couldn't have handled that,” Roy admitted, not even wanting think about it. 

“I know.” She rubbed his foot. “You have something in mind. I can see it. You think Olivia knows about it. That's why you asked her brother to have her come to the warehouse tomorrow.”

“I don't know if she knows but if anyone knows about scientists or alchemists who have been in the Briggs area in the last two decades, it's Olivia. Alex Louis seems to think Olivia has little to no interest in alchemy, in spite of it being a family tradition. From what I know of her, I agree. She's always seemed to hold it in contempt.”

“It's hard to separate out her feelings for alchemy from her feelings for you and her brother. She is not a fan of either of you,” Riza said. “She's definitely convinced I could have married better.”

“She's just embarrassed about our past,” he said and Riza yanked out some of his leg hairs. He yelped. “Hey, it was long before your father let me anywhere near you.”

“What are we going to do now, Roy? What if Armstrong can't find it in the sewers?”

“I don't know. I wish the brothers' teacher was still around. She supposed brought down Briggs bears bare handed. Not sure I believe that but it would be helpful.” Roy propped his metal heel on the lip of the tub next to Riza’s shoulder. Winry assured him it was water tight, but he wasn’t sure he entirely believed that. “We have to find this thing fast, Riza. It seems to have a taste for kids. I can’t allow it to continue.”

She kindly didn’t point out it might not be under his control at all. “Maybe in addition to talking to Olivia we should look into criminals who might have simply disappeared from military custody or were supposedly executed. Wasn’t that what Edward and Alphonse reported from lab five? I’d look for pedophiles.”

Roy nodded. “Good idea.” He rubbed a hand along the soft plane of her leg. It wasn’t a sexual touch, more of a comfort seeking gesture. He was too tired and too disgusted for anything else. “We should get some rest if we’re sufficiently warmed up.”

“I sleep next to the Flame Alchemist. I don’t worry about being warm.” Riza smiled at him.

“Was that a hint to get out of the tub and make sure the fire is roaring in our bedroom fireplace?”

It was her turn to rub his leg. “You bet.”

Roy chuckled and struggled to get out of the tub. This was when his metal foot was a hindrance. It didn’t like to provide traction. He had already started a fire in the fireplace but he knew Riza meant it was time for bed more than anything else. He helped her out of the tub, still amazed he hadn’t lost her forever through his own mistakes. On nights like tonight, he couldn’t be more grateful to have her at his side.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

“What the hell is going on, Mustang?” Olivia roared the moment he came into her office with Maes, Ed and Riza. 

“I would love to know that myself. I don’t want to go through another night like last night,” Roy said.

“Amen,” Maes said and Olivia’s brow puckered. 

“What?”

He waved his hand. “Something from my old life,” Hughes said. “Tell her, Roy. You have a better handle on this.”

“Riza suggested looking for a certain kind of criminal and Edward came to the same idea.”

“And that is?” Olivia asked.

“Pedophiles, crimes against kids,” Roy said.

”When Al and I were attacked in lab five, they had used criminals to make their souled armor experiments,” Ed said. 

“And if this is a Briggs bear chimera, we thought you might know something,” Roy said. “Not about the exact experiment. I don’t see you allowing that to go on under your command when you were in Briggs.”

She scowled. “I should hope not.”

“But do you remember any bears being caught and shipped, maybe to the zoo here?” Riza asked.

Olivia shrugged. “Anything is possible. There were trappers all through that area. Only part of it was the base. I definitely didn’t okay the capture of the bear. I would have no idea what a lone hunter might have done.”

“Fair enough,” Hughes said. “it was a longshot anyhow.”

“However, there was a Dr. Fletcher that was on the base for a time, looking for my best soldiers. None of them trusted him. He kept wanting me to sign over anyone who got badly injured to his program. I never trusted it because it was so secret even I wasn't allowed to be read into it. I was not about to stand for that. I’m not sure what he was up to but he was recalled to Central."

"That's a very good start," Roy said. 

"Do you remember when that was?" Hughes asked.

"At least a decade ago. Ask Miles. He's know where the records are for that," she replied. "That's all the more help I can give you."

"That's plenty. Now we have an idea who to be looking for," Roy said, hoping it was actually true. it could be leading them down a dead-end.

"Then get to it."

Roy and Ed went back to the warehouse while Maes and Riza went to run down the criminals and whatever information Miles came up with. Al and Dev gave them quizzical looks when he and Ed walked into the warehouse. 

“Where’s Riza?” Dev asked quickly. Roy had often wondered if Dev wasn’t a bit sweet on Riza. He knew Al had been once, might be still. He could hardly blame them.

“She and Maes are investigating criminals who might have been selected for this along with mortally wounded soldiers they could have saved and used,” Ed said.

”And Armstrong gave us some ideas. She mentioned a Dr. Fletcher who wanted wounded soldiers for a project even she wasn’t privy to but she stonewalled him and he returned here. Let’s look for that name, see if we can find a lab that might have Briggs connection,” Roy added.

“We already started that,” Al said. “Nothing so far but we found yet another hidden lab, a lab six but we’re not sure where it is.”

“That is getting us closer. Good work,” Roy said. “Let’s get closer still.”

XXX

By mid-day, Roy was thrilled at their progress. Maes and Riza had rejoined them with a list of six names, all of them pedophiles that had prayed on or near military bases and had been put to death by the military, much like Barry the Chopper and the others the brothers had dueled. More importantly they linked Fletcher with Lab Six and they had come up with four locations that made for a probable Lab Six.

“Al, Dev, we have to leave you two behind,” Roy said.

“But I can help,” Al protested.

“I know but I also can’t sanction the danger to you if the chimera is there. You’re not military.”

“I used to travel with Ed all the time. You had no problems with it then,” Al pointed out.

“I had little choice. I could only imagine what Ed would have done if I had tried to stop you. Besides, that was different. You had something you needed to accomplish for yourself. You two can stay here and continue to look for further links. If Fletcher did this, I want his head,” Roy said.

Al made a face but nodded. “All right. I can do that.”

”I’m not going to argue. I’m next to useless if a mad bit of alchemy comes racing at me with fangs and claws,” Dev said. “I’ll stay right here.”

“We need to meet Hughes and Riza,” Roy said. “Thanks, you two. Sorry, Al.”

Al raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

Roy wished it was as easy as he made it sound. The first two turned up a completely abandoned building; one that had to be couple centuries old which was surprising really. Roy couldn’t even guess what it was once. It definitely had no signs of being a lab. The other was a bakery. He remembered it as a kid. 

“I’d be bored, if this wasn’t so serious.” Ed shook his head as Riza drove to the next site.

“I know,” Roy said, noticing Hughes eyeing him.

”You’re both so impatient,” Hughes said and Riza snorted. “Negative information is still information.”

“What are we going to do when we find the chimera?” Ed asked.

“Capture him, maybe but I think that it is going to require deadly force,” Roy replied, a little bit surprised Ed didn’t protest. He took it as a sure sign Ed was more mature. No one wanted to kill, but it would probably be necessary. “You don’t have to be the one to do it.”

“Your way of doing it is pretty gruesome,” Ed replied.

“That’s why we all have guns, Edward. I’d be using the fire to contain the chimera,” Roy replied, trying not to let it show how much it hurt to be reminded of what he could do. 

“This isn’t going to be pretty,” Ed looked out the window. “If we ever find him.”

“Well it’s see if this works better for us,” Riza said as she pulled into a grass-strewn gravel parking lot. The building had the same long-abandoned look the last two places had. It was rather small but a lab didn’t necessarily have to be big.  
Hughes let Roy and Edward take point. Riza hung back, a rifle over her shoulder. It looked so incongruous now that she was no longer military. He was very glad Alphonse hadn’t decided to argue on since Riza’s inclusion was technically a civilian, too. Roy was torn between not wanting to do this without her and being worried for her safety especially if she was pregnant.

The smell of decomposition hit them the moment they passed the threshold. Hughes covered his nose. “Why do I think we found the place?” he rasped.

“Maybe it’s a rat,” Ed said, dubiously. He went deeper into the building. “A really big rat.”

“We should be so lucky,” Roy said. “Ed, go with Hughes. Riza will come with me. Trap the chimera by any means possible, Edward.”

“I know what I’m doing,” Ed replied, more like the hostile young man Roy knew and respected.

It wouldn’t take very long to cover the place and Riza didn’t wait for him. She walked toward one of the inner doorways. Roy trusted her intuition. It only took two turns inside the labyrinthine corridors before they found the source of the smell.

“Hughes, Edward, down this way,” Roy called, not really wanting to investigate the bloated corpse stretched out before him. He should feel cowardly about handing it off to the two investigators but he didn’t.

“Is that Dr. Fletcher do you think?” Riza asked, eyeing the man’s lab coat. His face, what was left of it, was so dark and swollen from gases it wouldn’t be easy to identify him by looking. Roy really didn’t want to go through the man’s pockets.

“Most likely,” Roy said.

“Oh gross!” As he came into the room, Ed clamped his metal hand over his mouth. Roy almost envied him that barrier. 

“We think this is Dr. Fletcher,” Riza said, taking a couple steps back to allow Hughes and Ed closer. “But we didn’t check. We thought it should have been left to Investigations.”

“This reminds me of road kill rabbits back home. They’d get swelled up and kids would hit them with a stick to see if they would explode,” Hughes said, his features pinched. 

“Disgusting,” Roy replied. “I’ll leave you two to investigate while Riza and I look for the chimera.”

“Chicken shit.” Ed glared at him. 

“You wanted to work with Hughes in investigations.” Roy smirked. “Investigate.”

“General Jackass,” Ed muttered and Hughes grinned.

Roy left them to it.

“Do you think the chimera is still here?” Riza sounded dubious.

“Doubtful with as much noise as we’ve made. I’m fairly sure that was Fletcher we found and his records will be here somewhere. We can leave that for Alex Louis and his men once Hughes calls them in.” Roy glanced back. He wondered if he should have made the call. “What I’m not seeing here is any place to lock up a dangerous experiment like a chimera.”

“Basement?” Riza asked.

Roy nodded. “That would cut down on the chances of sound carrying.”

“I haven’t seen a door to the basement yet.”

“Me either. Hughes!” Roy bellowed. “Did you see a basement door?”

“No!” his friend yelled back.

“Maybe it’s transmuted to look like a wall,” Ed offered.

“Damn.” Roy had had that thought as well. He didn’t want to have to deal with that nonsense.

Luckily it only took a few minutes, heading down a corridor neither parties had traveled, to spot the door. It was easy enough to find since it hung on one bent hinge. It had claw marks on the inner surface so Roy took that as a sign they were on the right track.

A different stench wafted up from below, making Roy rub his gloved fingers together. Riza pulled her pistol. The musky scent of animal and raw sewage got worse as they went down the stairs, but the basement was empty, except for a cell that was minus a few bars. A quick search turned up nothing, not even anything passing as records so they went back upstairs. It was pretty obvious what had happened. The chimera had escaped but it didn’t tell them much else. Was he frozen in animal form like Shou Tucker and his daughter had been? Could he hide what he was like Douchet and Martel and the others? What was left of his mind?

When they got back upstairs, he heard Alex Louis’s bluff tones, talking to Hughes. Confident they would find some answers once they found Fletcher’s notes, Roy joined in the search for them along with Riza. Of course, it wouldn’t help them stop the chimera but it was something.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Winry heard the yelling all the way out to the walkway. She wondered if anyone had called the military police yet or maybe they were used to the Elrics screaming at each other. She knew she was. Winry contemplated just catching a cab to Roy's and sparing herself the agitation, but she knew the trials they were going through. That would be unfair so she let herself into the condo.

“Ed, you can't tell me what to do. If I want to help you stop the chimera, I will,” Al shouted.

“Al, you're not military. You have no business doing something like this,” Ed yelled back.

“Oh, hell to that, Ed. I'm an adult. Roy said that because he had to. He's a general now. If he accidentally gets a civilian killed, he'll be in troubled.”

“That's the point. You could get killed.”

“I'm not having this argument with you. Again, I'm an adult. If we were still on Earth, I'd be married by now and maybe have a family of my own. I sure as hell don't need you babying me.”

Ed's face went pale and Al took a few steps back, shaking.

“I take it you're done,” Winry said, trying to ignore the pain in their eyes. “What is this all about?”

“I'm suddenly not good enough to keep myself safe in a fight with the chimera,” Al snarled. “Even though I've always been able to outfight him.”

A furious red replaced the paleness of Ed's face. “That's not what I'm saying. It's just...”

The phone rang, interrupting him and Winry was very grateful to it. She wasn't sure there was anything Ed could add to that, that wouldn't make it worse. Ed stalked over and snatched the Bakelite handset up. “What?” Ed's whole body stiffened up. “I'll be right there.”

“What is it, Ed?” Winry put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Screams reported at the orphanage,” Ed said. “Mustang is meeting me there.”

“Meeting us.” Al stabbed a finger at his brother. “Don’t even try it.”

Ed sighed then ran out the front door. Al went after him. Winry followed and yelled even as a military car rolled up to them. “Be careful.”

“We will,” Ed promised.

She wanted to believe him, even though she knew better. Winry also knew the brothers were among the very best at what they did. Still, that didn’t mean she’d rest easy until this was over.

XXX

“I don’t understand how anyone could do such a thing,” Gracia said, sipping her tea. Roy hadn’t really wanted to talk about the case but once Miao-Yin had taken Elicia off upstairs to play, there was no telling Gracia and Li-Ying no.

“There are taboos for a reason,” Li-Ying added.

Roy nodded. “Bradley’s people didn’t care about that. It made a lot of sense once we found Fletcher’s notebooks.”

“Bear soldiers would be fearsome in battle,” Hughes agreed. “The Nazis were trying something similar with gorillas back home.” His face wrinkled up. “We don’t have alchemy.”

“I do not want to know how they planned to achieve that.” Riza shuddered.

Gracia rubbed her belly. “Me either.”

“Even with alchemy it didn’t work well. Only one survived the process, a Simon Willis,” Roy said.

“We found him in the archives. He was a pedophile who had gotten away with kidnapping and raping children until he tried it with the grade school right next to the base,” Riza said. “He should have been killed. Instead they did this.”

“Because that’s just what we needed,” Hughes said. “A bear crossed with a pedophile.”

“But what can you do about it now?” Gracia asked. “How do you plan on luring it out? You can’t use children as bait.”

“I don’t think we’ll have to go that far. There are far too many places where children gather as it is. That’s what worries me.” Roy frowned.

The phone rang and they all stared at it as if they all knew that the news would be bad and they had somehow caused it to happen by talking about it. Roy grabbed up the phone. “Mustang, speaking…it’s still there? We’ll be there as quick as possible. If troops beat us there, let them bring it down.”

“Where is it?” Hughes asked.

“Orphanage and it’s rampaging,” Roy said, heading for the door. They followed him. Riza and Hughes already had guns stowed in the car. They had been waiting for this call.

For once Roy had no complaints about how fast and crazy Riza drove. They spotted some blue coats going into the woods behind the orphanage. Ed and Al were racing up the hill after them. They didn’t waste time going into the orphanage. They all knew that the only way the soldiers and the Elrics were going for the tree line was that the chimera had headed that way. Others would deal with the dead and injured.

Roy envied Ed how fast he could go on his automail leg. His own seemed heavier than a car as he ran. He did run daily just to keep in shape but in the thick snow the going was difficult. Someone screamed and Roy ran faster. He felt the ground rumble as Ed and Al slapped it in unison dragging something away from a soldier who was on the ground, turning the snow red. 

The chimera was even bigger than Roy expected. It would have topped Strongarm in height and girth and he snapped through the earthen fingers the brothers used to capture him. The bear-man loped toward Edward who threw up a shield of rock, snow and dirt before wisely racing back several steps.

“Simon Willis!” Hughes bellowed. “Stop right there.”

The chimera whirled to face them, roaring loud enough to make Roy’s ears throb, then Willis ran for them. Roy tried to figure out how to corral him with fire without burning the trees or the soldiers. A crack deafened him and the chimera toppled instantly. The snow around his head turned pink then red as blood pumped out of him. Roy twisted to see Riza with her rifle benched in against her shoulder, smoking curling out of the barrel.

She lowered it and said, “We couldn’t take any chances.”

Roy nodded then imprisoned Willis with the ground just in case the chimera wasn’t dead. “No, we couldn’t.”

They went to examine the chimera but Riza’s aim was as sure as ever. Roy didn’t like having to make her kill again but Willis wasn’t an innocent victim like some of the ones the Elrics had known. He had been bad seed from the start and Roy doubted many would miss him. They wasted no more time on him, turning their attentions to the wounded who could still be saved.

Epilogue

Ed sank down on the couch after turning on one of his favorite radio shows. Winry sat next to him, handing him a cup of his favorite tea. Al had gone off with Miao-Yin and Ed was looking forward to the time alone with Winry. He draped one arm around her, pulling her against him. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a b…” He had been about to say ‘bear’ but that sounded wrong given the circumstances.

“It’s all right, Ed. I’m familiar with you.” Winry grinned and he snorted.

“Still, I’ve been worse in the last few days.”

She squeezed his knee. “A chimera killing and eating kids? You have good reason to be pricklier than usual but it’s over now.”

“Until the next time.”

“There’s always a next time,” she agreed. “Even with me, my job begins with someone’s terrible loss.”

Ed rubbed her hip. “Never really thought of it that way.” He took a drink of tea then nuzzled her cheek. “We have the cottage to ourselves. What shall we do with that?”

“You mean after Derrek Preston, Space Adventurer is over?” Winry nodded to the radio.

“I might be able to be persuaded to miss an episode.” Ed put his tea down so he could gather her up into his lap.

Winry kissed him. “If you’re really good, I might even be willing to pretend I’m Derrek’s plucky companion, Starshine, for the night.”

“Hmmm, role playing. I like it.” Ed grinned, trying to picture Winry in Starshine’s mini-skirt of stars, which he assumed was a glowing fabric of some sort. Well, Winry had a lot of mini-skirts. They were half way there. He kissed her again, letting the grimness of the last few days fall away. He was right where he wanted to be.

 

XXX

Roy rested back on the bed, reading and absently petting Hayate while Riza showered. His leg muscles ached from running in the snow and he was more tired than he cared to admit. He had dragged through the whole day, looking forward to going home and getting off his leg. Growing older wasn’t for sissies, that was for sure. 

“Roy!”

He nearly dropped the book on his face. He hadn’t even heard the shower stop. Riza gave him the hairy eye from the doorway then pointed to the dog bed. Hayate didn’t have to be told. He slunk off the bed and curled up where he belonged. Roy shrugged. “Sorry, but he looked so sad when I told him no.”

Riza sighed and sat on the bed next to him. “You can tell him no, you know.”

“I’m no good at it when it’s not Ed or Dev.” Roy grinned.

“You need to learn.” Riza smiled then added, “Dad.”

Roy blinked as that sank in. “What…I… you heard?”

Riza nodded. “Today. The doctor called. We’re going to be parents.”

He wrapped her in his arms, pulling Riza down on the mattress with him. He couldn’t form words so Roy settled for kissing her deeply. 

When the kiss finally ended, she curled up against him, her head resting on his chest as she rubbed his belly. “You can’t tell anyone yet, Roy. Promise me.”

“I won’t say a word. I know you’re supposed to wait,” Roy replied, already planning out who he’d tell first. He couldn’t wait to see the expressions on Ed and Dev’s faces. He would definitely have to wait to tell them because they wouldn’t be able to keep it secret and Riza would shoot him and raise their baby alone. “I’m so happy, Riza. I’ve been worried about you.”

“I know.” Riza rose up on one elbow to kiss him again. “It’s going to be fine, Roy. This is what we’ve always hoped for.”

It was. This is why he dealt with horrible things like the chimera. He wanted a better world for his child, for all the children out there. 

“I love you so much,” he murmured, holding Riza to him. With her at his side, Roy knew there was nothing they couldn’t weather. This was how life was meant to be and he couldn’t be happier.


End file.
